Saboteur
by theFBWs
Summary: When the Daedalus is sabotaged, Sheppard is put in charge of the investigation by the SGC. Will he find the culprit before it's too late? Mystery, intrigue and whumpin' a'plenty. A collaborative fic from emergencyfan and nebbyjen.
1. Chapter 1

Neither Stargate Atlantis nor its characters belong to us. They belong to MGM. Captain Austin Adair, however, does belong to Emergencyfan (and Nebbyjen is his very protective aunt :-)  
Set fairly early in season II.

* * *

**SABOTEUR**

"_This is the Daedalus, we're ready for departure_." The voice of Colonel Caldwell emanated over the Atlantis control room intercom.

"We read you, Daedalus. Safe journey," replied Weir from behind the console where she was standing. The words were warm enough but anyone who knew her well would not have mistaken the expression on her face for regret that the ship was about to depart. It was no secret that she was happy to have the Daedalus's commander out of her hair for next several weeks. She glanced over at Sheppard. Though his expression was unreadable, she suspected he was as equally thrilled the overbearing colonel was leaving.

"_Thank you. Daeda_…"

She frowned as the interrupted transmission was followed by a hiss of static. "Rodney?"

McKay had been at another station running some diagnostics but he left it to join her at the communications console. Flipping a few switches, he paged the orbiting ship. "Daedalus, this is Atlantis, do you read?" Silence filled the airspace. "Daedalus, this is Atlantis, come in?" He frowned and switched to yet another console, checking several readings, his face growing more and more serious. "This isn't good."

"What?" asked Sheppard, stepping over to look at the readings. His face soon mirrored the scientist's concerned expression. "Do those say what I think they do?"

Rodney looked to the colonel, then to Weir. "According to this," he said, waving distractedly at the readouts, "it appears that there have been several massive disruptions on board."

"Massive disruptions?" Weir asked, clearly requesting clarification.

"Explosions," Sheppard grimly replied.

"Not necessarily," snapped Rodney in irritation as he reconfigured the console for a more detailed scan of the ship. "You're jumping to conclusions based on limited information." Switching out several components on the control panel, he began downloading additional information to his laptop.

Sheppard stabbed a finger at the display. "What else could cause those readings!"

Worry and irritation had made Weir impatient as she waited for Rodney's answer. "Well?" she finally asked, uncrossing her arms and waving a hand in the direction of the control panel.

After quickly scanning the new information, Rodney looked up to meet her eyes. There was a grim expression on his face. "He's right."

"How bad?"

There was a rapid punching of keys as the scientist accessed the needed data. "They're venting atmosphere…wait…it's stopped. They must have managed to seal the bulkheads around the damaged areas." He ran his fingertip along the laptop's screen, reading the lines as fast as they appeared. "The ship is relatively intact and there are lifesigns throughout."

After taking a quick breath to compose her thoughts, Weir settled down to take action. "Colonel, I would like you to organize teams for the puddlejumpers…"

"We shouldn't interfere."

"What?" Weir asked, shocked. She knew Sheppard and Caldwell rubbed each other the wrong way but she never expected something like this.

"The Daedalus has emergency protocols in place for situations like this. Sending in a bunch of extra people who haven't been trained in their procedures will only cause confusion," Sheppard quickly explained.

"We participated in drills when we were aboard ship..."

"Yes, which if you remember, consisted mostly of us staying out the way. They'll let us know if they need anything," he said with forced assurance.

Elizabeth wasn't convinced. "With their communications systems down?"

Rodney was still keeping a close eye on the readings. "They are definitely making progress on their own and they can contact us through auxiliary control if they need to. That area of the ship doesn't appear to have sustained any damage and our transmission _is_ getting through. They're just not responding at the moment."

Weir bit her lip to stop herself from commenting further.

Sheppard shot her a sympathetic glance. "I want to help too, but the Daedalus crew is the best around, and they have been trained for every contingency imaginable. Trust them to do their jobs. They'll ask for help if they need it."

She gave him a brief nod and occupied herself by calling Beckett and briefing him on the situation so he could be prepared if needed.

Fifteen long minutes passed, and though Sheppard had proclaimed complete confidence in the Daedalus crew, he was equally worried. A burst of static startled them all. Rodney quickly lowered the volume and made some adjustments which cleared most of the interference from the transmission.

"_Atlantis, this is Captain Adair on the Daedalus, do you read?" _came a remarkably calm Texas drawl over the communication system.

"Daedalus, we read you. This is Colonel Sheppard, Captain. Our sensors indicate you've had at least one explosion and several system failures. What is your situation?"

"_Damage control reports all fires are out and emergency bulkheads have been sealed. Quite a few injured, but no deaths reported yet. We're operating on emergency power and life support is off-line at the moment. We have enough oxygen to sustain us for the time being, but between what got vented into space and what the fires consumed…" _

Sheppard was happy to hear the captain's calm, concise report. Obviously Adair was a capable officer and well-trained to handle the current emergency despite his seemingly casual façade.

There was a pause and they could hear the captain speaking with someone in the background. "_Well that's about as damn useful as a twenty-two shell in a twelve gauge shotgun. No, no. Just do the best you can._" Adair voice came back full-force over the radio. _"Sir, life support is totally shot to hell. It's doubtful we can repair it with the equipment we have on board, and definitely not before we run out of oxygen." _

"Are you requesting permission to land?" Sheppard shot a glance at Weir, receiving her nod of approval and agreement.

"_Damn nice of you to invite us, Colonel, but we've got to get the thrusters up and runnin' first_."

"Where's Colonel Caldwell?" asked Weir.

"_We haven't been able to contact the bridge and there's a damaged section of hull between us and them." _A touch of worry crept through Adair's otherwise calm demeanor. "_The damage may extend all the way to the bridge. Sensors are down in that area._"

"Our readings say the bridge is still structurally intact with limited atmosphere," volunteered Rodney.

The information was apparently well received from the happy exclamations that could be heard in the background. While Caldwell might have a less than stellar relationship with the Atlantis personnel, he was obviously held in high regard by his crew.

Relief colored the captain's reply, "_Good to know, Atlantis_."

"How can we help you?" Sheppard asked.

"_Hermiod is asking if Dr. McKay would be willing to beam aboard and assist our folks with the thruster repairs. The transporter technology is apparently undamaged_."

"Apparently?" McKay squeaked.

Sheppard and Weir both gave him a glare and received a resigned sigh in reply. Rodney held up five fingers before disappearing down the back steps.

"Dr. McKay can be ready to beam aboard in five minutes. Is there anything else we can do for you?" Sheppard asked.

"_Our medic wants to consult with yours. Everything else is under control for the moment_."

"We're patching you through to the infirmary on a direct channel," said Sheppard, seeing that the technician who had taken over McKay's console had already started making the necessary connections. "Call us if you need us."

"_Roger that, Atlantis. Daedalus out_."

oOo

Adair stood, arms crossed, watching the empty space in the middle of the auxiliary control room. His weather beaten features had a skeptical look as he glanced at the Asgard. "You sure this is safe?"

"There should be sufficient power to beam one person aboard with minimal risk."

Pursing his lips, Adair nodded his permission. "All right then, let's give it whirl." He watched as the empty space was suddenly filled with a stumbling and irate Dr. Rodney McKay. Leaning down, he flipped a switch on the console. "Dr. McKay is safely aboard, Atlantis."

"_Roger that."_

As McKay opened his mouth to complain about the rough arrival, there was a shower of sparks from Hermiod's control panel.

"What was that?" asked Rodney, cringing from the few sparks which had arced in his direction.

"The transporter circuits have overloaded," said Hermiod, unruffled. He made a few adjustments to his panel.

"Over--OVERLOADED?" Rodney stared at the Asgard in disbelief. "I might have been killed or disintegrated or …"

"But you were not," Hermiod said, temporarily cutting through the doctor's tirade.

How the Asgard's calm, uninflected voice could convey both humor and sarcasm was beyond Adair.

"I'm so glad you feel you can risk my life whenever it suits you," McKay said sarcastically, glaring at the Asgard. "Of course, all _you_ have to do is download your consciousness…"

"Doctor…" began Adair.

"…into another body, so you hardly understand the risk I just took. I was lucky I didn't wind up in the wall the last time you transported me. It's bad enough..."

"Doctor…" Adair repeated, trying to get a word in edgewise.

"you ignore security protocols…"

"Doctor, " the captain tried again, a little louder.

"..without any regard as to…"

"DOCTOR McKAY!"

"WHAT?" he snapped, turning on Adair. "There's no need to raise your voice, you know. I understand you're under a lot of stress at the moment but yelling at me is not going to help."

The captain ground his teeth. "The thrusters?"

"Oh, right!" Rodney walked over to the appropriate console and started pulling it apart without hesitation, squinting unhappily at the dim emergency lighting.

Adair watched, a little concerned at the multitude of wires and parts that McKay began yanking out, with seemingly no regard as to their function. "Do you think…?"

"More than most people," interrupted McKay. He studied a blackened part before chucking it over his shoulder and waving a circuit board at the captain. "Do you mind? You're in my light."

Adair stepped back, but from the look the scientist shot him, it wasn't nearly far enough.

"Don't you have some captainy things to do? People you need to go yell at?" suggested McKay as he pulled a flashlight from his vest pocket and peered into the panel.

"I could..."

"Good, go," said McKay waving his hand in dismissal without so much as a backward glance.

oOo

Rodney and Lt. Anderson were elbow deep in the guts of the thruster control panel.

"So, you asked for me, personally?" Rodney smirked, though his attention never wavered from the control systems he was working on.

"Yes," replied Hermiod from his station, in a less than thrilled tone.

"Don't let it go to your head, Doctor McKay," said Anderson as she replaced a damaged control chip. "He said you were the 'most qualified among the humans available'."

"_Doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement, does it?_" came Sheppard's voice over Rodney's earpiece.

"Is there something you wanted, Colonel?" snapped McKay.

"_Just checking to see if you needed anything."_

"Yes, I need to fix the thrusters so we can land before I die of suffocation." Sheppard didn't reply but Rodney knew he was keeping the channel open. Oddly enough, he found it more reassuring than annoying. One last connection with an accompanying small shower of sparks completed the repairs. "Try it now," he said to Hermiod.

The Asgard made several adjustments to the console and the ship shuddered slightly as the thruster engines came back on line. "They appear to be functioning within acceptable parameters--barely."

"Good," said Rodney, ignoring Hermiod's lukewarm response before snapping shut the panel in front of him. He turned to see that the captain had reentered the room at some point during the repair process. "We're ready."

"Ya sure?" Adair asked, taking in Hermiod's lack of enthusiasm and casting a jaundiced eye at the jury-rigged console.

"The repairs are primitive." Rodney looked towards Hermiod as if daring him to comment. "But they _should_ last until we get back to Atlantis," he said.

"Should," said Adair, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't really have much choice now, do we?" snapped Rodney. "I'll have to adjust the stabilizers manually once we hit the atmosphere. It's going to be a turbulent reentry at best."

"We may land in one piece but we're going to shake a few teeth loose in the process?" translated the captain, wryly. He could hear Sheppard chuckling in response as he clicked over to the Atlantis control room frequency. "Atlantis, this is the Daedalus, we are _now_ requesting permission to land."

"_Daedalus, you have clearance to land on the east pier. Safe trip_."

"From your lips to God's ears," he murmured. "Roger that, Atlantis."

"_We'll have medical personnel and a damage control team waiting to assist you if needed_."

"Thank you, Atlantis. That's mighty neighborly of you," he replied, smiling. "Daedalus out." He flipped on the ship-wide intercom. "All hands, we're in for a bumpy ride, so secure any loose articles and grab yourself a seat if you don't want to get tossed." He nodded to the auxiliary pilot to start their decent then patted the rigged console affectionately. "Let's land this hay burner."

Rodney took up a position beside Hermiod, his eyes glued to the panel showing the fluctuating levels of the aft stabilizers. As the large ship began its slow descent through the atmosphere, what had been a noticeable vibration became the forewarned rumbling, causing several individuals in the room to lose their balance or to grasp about madly for the closest object bolted down. The Atlantis astrophysicist had a white-knuckle grip, his fingers locked securely to the Asgard's terminal.

Adair staggered over to their position and reached out to snag the small grey alien before he toppled sideways. "Fellas, what do you need me to do?"

Suddenly the Daedalus bucked hard to the right sending all standing crew members to the floor.

"Starboard stabilizer is off line!" McKay shouted above the increasing rumble. Scrambling on his hands and knees, he made his way back to the console and pulled himself to his feet. Fingers flying over the keypad, he deftly ignored the others struggling about him. "Compensating with thrusters and decrease of port stabilizer."

The ship groaned in protest before it slowly began to right its position.

Back on his feet with the help of the captain, Hermiod tracked the altitude and speed. "We are descending too quickly. External hull temperature is rising towards critical. Shield failure is imminent in thirty seconds."

"McKay…" Adair urged, hoping the scientist was as good as he told everyone he was.

"Be quiet and let me think!" Rodney eyes darted back and forth between the readings on various consoles.

"We don't have time for you to think!"

Rodney ignored the comment as he staggered towards the console on the back wall. With a one-handed grip on the panel, the free fingers of his other hand raced over the controls.

"Ten seconds to shield failure," Hermiod calmly announced.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mc…Kay," Adair gritted through his teeth, channeling Sheppard's tone almost perfectly.

"One second," Rodney mumbled, keying in the final command.

The Texan's easy going manner began to slip, "Doctor, we don't have a second!"

Rodney responded by holding up one finger and then pointing to the Asgard. "Increase power to the thrusters…now!"

Hermiod nodded in understanding as he completed the task. Almost immediately the Daedalus jerked as if someone had hit the brakes too hard, sending half the crew to the floor again. "Outer hull shield strength returning to seventy-five percent."

"That should be enough to safely clear the atmosphere."

Captain Adair glanced back and forth between the pair, first to McKay and then Hermiod. "What did you do? What did he do?"

"Doctor McKay transferred all available power from secondary systems to the thrusters."

The smug look on the astrophysicist's face slipped as he watched the numbers begin to change rapidly on the readouts displayed before him. "But now we have to figure out how to get past my temporary bypass."

This didn't sound good. "What did you do to my ship?"

"He rerouted the power from navigational control."

"You did what? I thought you said secondary systems! How in the hell are we supposed to land this ship without navigational control?"

Rodney licked his lips nervously, "Manually."

"Doctor, in case you haven't noticed, this ain't exactly my daddy's crop duster we're in. Even on her good days she steers about as well as hard-mouthed mule."

"Not a lot of choices here," Rodney reminded him.

"Okay, okay," said the captain in a determinedly cheerful tone. "Just tell me what to do."

Hermiod muttered in annoyance. "The ship will require Doctor McKay to continue monitoring the thrusters and stabilizers while decreasing our speed during the landing. I will remove flight systems from the computer override. Captain Adair, you will need to assist your pilot and take manual control of the guidance system."

"Is that all?" Adair winked at the anxious Lt. McEnroe, putting the young pilot a bit more at ease. "Piece of cake, Marty," he assured him as he took the evacuated seat next to the pilot. He rubbed the side of his face before focusing intently on the display before them. "Though this would be a lot easier if we could just open a window and see what we were doing."

The young pilot watched the captain and shrugged. Not to be outdone by his commander's cavalier facade, he entwined his fingers and casually popped his knuckles before gripping the back up control unit. "We can do this just like a flight simulator, Sir."

"We have cleared orbit and have entered the general atmosphere of the planet," the Asgard announced, ignoring the Captain. "Atlantis's position is 60 kilometers. Begin decreasing forward thrust."

McKay's gaze was fixed tightly on his display, sweat beading across his forehead as he focused intently on maintaining the damaged thrusters. The ship did a drunken sway before he was able to access the stabilizers and smooth the descent.

"Thirty kilometers," Hermiod announced.

"Didn't we already go through this once?" Adair mumbled to himself. His hands on the control, he began steer the large ship towards the increasing speck on his display. "Come on, girl," he encouraged under his breath. "Nice and easy like."

The ship swayed at a further decrease to the forward thrusters.

"You're doin' good, Doc, just slow her down a little more."

The communications system on board the Daedalus remained deathly quiet as all the crew held their breath.

"Five kilometers."

Adair focused entirely on the ship's display. "That's it girl, a couple more miles and we're home free." Atlantis loomed large before them. Suddenly a shower of sparks erupted from Rodney's console and the ship began to shake even more violently as the thrusters stuttered.

"Oh no," exclaimed the scientist, rapidly flipping switches on his console. "No, no, no!"

oOo

Beckett shaded his eyes from the sun with his hand as he watched the rapidly descending ship from the end of the east pier. He shot a quick, anxious glance at Sheppard. "Aren't they coming in a little fast?" The Daedalus loomed ever larger in the sky and the roar of its massive thrusters could now be plainly heard

"A bit," said Sheppard squinting against the glare. "They're still okay, though." The words were no sooner out of his mouth when there was a stuttering sound from the engines followed by an ominous silence. "Oh crap." He exchanged a brief deer-in-the-headlights look with Beckett before yelling, "Move!" Shoving the doctor towards the relative safety of the city, he shouted at the rest of the Atlantis volunteers to take cover as well.

oOo

"Doctor McKay?" said Hermiod.

Adair thought he detected the tiniest amount of concern in the Asgard's otherwise unemotional demeanor.

"Working on it," replied Rodney in a singsong voice as he rapidly rerouted several power conduits. There was an ear-splitting screech of metal as the thrusters roared back to life, abruptly slowing their decent and knocking most of the crew to the floor yet again.

The pilot's long fingers eased the controls and the ship shuddered again as it struggled to dump its momentum just meters above Atlantis before landing with a final jarring impact. Most of the crew had had the common sense to stay down after the last turbulent episode and were now picking themselves up off the floor.

Adair spun around in his seat with an ear-splitting grin aimed at the pale scientist and grey alien, "WHOOO HOO! Whadda ride!" Tapping into the ship's communication system, he announced, "This is your captain speaking. Thank you for flying Daedalus Air. We hope you enjoyed your brief flight and take advantage of your temporary layover at the lovely city of Atlantis. All crew members are permitted five minutes to thank their makers before fixing my ship. Adair out." Scrubbing his face with his hands in relief, he exchanged a more sober glance with his white-faced pilot and said quietly, "Let's not do this again anytime soon, okay?"

"Fine with me, Sir," replied McEnroe, shakily.

"You did real good, Marty," said Adair. Looking around the room at his bedraggled crew, he clapped his hands together briskly. "We got work to do, folks."

oOo

Sheppard's group had only made it a few yards when there was a muffled boom as the engines reignited several hundred meters above the pier. Daedalus squealed in protest at the sudden changes in force, struggling to slow her decent. A few seconds later, she landed none too gently on the east pier, jarring everyone and causing several people to lose their balance completely; only Sheppard's quick grab at a medical tech's lab coat saved the man from a dunking as he was nearly knocked off the edge of the pier.

"Everyone okay?" asked Sheppard, quickly taking a mental inventory of everyone present.

Someone said something about needing a change of underwear and a wave of nervous laughter coursed though the group.

"_Colonel?"_ came Weir's worried inquiry over the radio.

"Everyone and everything's in one piece," he assured her.

The Daedalus's main hatch was unsealed from the inside and a disheveled head poked out, nodded in Beckett's direction, and disappeared back into the ship. A flood of medical personnel filed past Sheppard and through the hatch. Once they had passed though the doorway, the captain, pilot, and Rodney all exited the ship.

"Nice landing," remarked Sheppard, wryly.

The captain looked a little pale, though his voice was steady when he replied, "What's that expression you pilots use? Any landing you walk away from…" He gave the young pilot, who was wiping sweat off his face with a shaky hand, an approving slap on the back. "Marty here's a damn fine back-up pilot."

Sheppard grinned at them and took in McKay's ashen appearance. "You okay, Rodney?" he asked, amused.

The scientist was looking back at the Daedalus with a dazed expression. "Yeah, I'm fine." But his voice was an octave above normal.

"You like flying, remember?" Sheppard said, encouragingly.

"Flying, yes. Crashing, not so much. Not at all, really." He blinked, refocusing on the here and now. "Though it certainly happens often enough when you're flying so you'd think I'd be used to it by now."

"Only twice," said Sheppard, giving the scientist's comment a dismissive shrug. "It's not like I blew up an entire solar system or anything." He turned his attention back to Adair who was eyeing the damage control team and evaluating the various people and equipment from Atlantis that had been assembled. "Captain?" he invited.

"We've got people trapped on deck C and we still haven't been able to get through to the bridge. Dr. McKay hasn't been able to convince the bulkheads to retract." He nodded towards the tanks and torches. "We're going to have to cut our way through so them extra torches'll come in handy."

"We're at your disposal," said Sheppard, making it clear to the captain that he had no plans to usurp Adair's authority despite his higher rank.

"Three men and torches for the bridge and the rest can head to deck C," Adair suggested immediately. "Chuck is heading things up over there and he'll know how best to use 'em. I swear he sleeps with the damned blueprints under his pillow."

Grinning, Sheppard split the men and equipment, choosing to follow the team the captain led towards the bridge.

oOo

Adair stood back with Sheppard, out of range of the plasma cutters, as two of their men worked to cut through the second door that would give them access to the bridge. Cutting through the first Trinium alloy bulkhead had taken almost an hour, even with Sheppard and the captain cutting simultaneously. The other teams had reported equally slow progress on deck C. The small area between the two bulkheads where Sheppard and Adair were standing was sweltering from the heat given off by the torches and all four of the men were now soaked with sweat and covered grime.

"The Commander's gonna be madder than a hornet when he sees what we've done to his ship," said the captain. He took a long swig from the bottle of water the medic had brought them and then tipped his head back and poured the remainder over his face.

"I'll take the blame if you want," offered Sheppard from beside him, emptying his own bottle in a similar attempt to sluice away the outermost layer of dirt and sweat.

The captain shook the water from his hair and eyes and gave Sheppard a small worried grin as he glanced at his watch and back at the slow progress they were making on the door. "Just this once, I don't think I'll mind."

"That's got it, Sir," said one of the engineers, turning off his torch as he and his partner stepped back away from the bulkhead door.

Sheppard pushed on it and when it didn't give immediately, he shot Adair an inviting look. Both men braced themselves on one foot and kicked with the flat of their boots against the door. It creaked and groaned. A few more well placed kicks and the center section gave way, landing on the floor with a loud clang. The men stepped back giving the medics room to pass, and handed through their equipment before entering the bridge themselves. The place looked like a war zone. A light fog of smoke hung in the air and various connections crackled intermittently and spit sparks. The emergency lighting glowed dimly, highlighting the debris that littered the floor.

Caldwell was lying to one side of Lieutenant Drake, his hand clamped on her leg. A pool of blood was on the deck under them and his hand was red and slick with it.

The lead medic quickly radioed for additional personnel and gurneys as he gripped Drake's bleeding leg above Caldwell's hand. "I've got her now, Sir."

Caldwell pulled his cramped hand away with some effort and rolled over onto his back, blinking at his surroundings, taking short, shallow breaths.

Adair knelt down beside his commander. "Colonel?"

Caldwell blinked at him. "Captain…"

"Sir?" Adair prompted when his commander paused to take a painful breath.

"That had to be the worst landing I've ever been through, and that includes the helicopter crash in Afghanistan when I broke _both_ my legs."

"Young Marty will be heartbroken to hear that, Sir," replied Adair wryly. "He was pretty damn proud he managed to land the ship in one piece without wetting himself."

Caldwell's lips quirked ever so slightly in response. He searched his captain's eyes. "How many did we lose?"

Adair glanced worriedly at the still forms of Drake and the two other members of the bridge crew who had apparently been knocked unconscious during the ordeal. "None, so far."

"And where exactly are we?"

"Atlantis's east pier, and it looks like we're gonna be staying a spell. Life support systems are completely shot to hell." Adair rubbed his arm across his forehead in a vain attempt to wipe away the sweat that was dripping into his eyes.

"I'm sure Dr. Weir will be thrilled," said Caldwell, dryly. A clang in the hallway announced the arrival of additional medical personnel and their equipment. Caldwell glanced towards the noise, doing a slight double take as he noticed the bulkhead door. He looked back at Adair. "Did you cut a hole in my ship, Captain?"

"Truth be told, Sir, we cut a few more than one."

The urge to close his eyes winning out, the colonel let them slide briefly shut. "Remind me to dock your pay accordingly."

"Yes, Sir," replied Adair, smiling slightly.

There was a loud popping noise and one of the overhead pipes began venting coolant. Adair instantly jumped up and crossed the bridge, spinning a valve to reroute it.

"You've got a good one there," said Sheppard quietly, kneeling down to take Adair's place by Caldwell's side.

"He's not nearly as hick as he likes people to think he is," agreed Caldwell, grimacing in pain as he shifted slightly. "He does, however, have the disconcerting habit of treating the Daedalus like he treats his horses. But he knows this ship like the back of his hand. And he's damn good at his job." He turned to watch as Beckett wrapped a pressure bandage around Drake's leg while the medic started an I.V.

The orderlies gently lifted her onto a gurney and the medic followed them off the bridge. Two more gurneys trailed behind them with the remaining unconscious crewmembers.

Beckett turned his attention towards Caldwell and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm. He took in the injured man's pale, sweaty appearance as well as the tight lines of pain around his mouth. "How are you feeling, Colonel?"

"Not too well," the senior officer admitted.

Beckett narrowed his eyes unhappily at the low blood pressure reading. "Where does it hurt?" he asked, his tone all business.

"Right side." He lifted his arm slightly to give the doctor better access.

Beckett unzipped Caldwell's jumpsuit and pulled his shirt up to reveal a purpling bruise just under the colonel's ribs. He checked the area for tenderness and rigidity before starting an I.V., handing the bag to Sheppard to hold.

"Adair," Caldwell painfully called from his position on the floor.

"Yes, Sir?" asked the captain as he made his way back through the debris.

"I expect to get my ship back in the same condition it was in before you took command," he said, waving vaguely towards the ruined bulkhead doors.

"Venting atmosphere and running on emergency power?" asked the captain, a hint of smile touched his weatherworn face.

The ship's commander grunted, acknowledging the captain's point. "_Better_ condition then."

"Fair enough, Sir." He stood back to give the orderlies room as they hoisted Caldwell onto the remaining gurney and wheeled him toward the door.

Beckett stayed behind a minute to gather up the rest of his supplies. Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he answered the captain's unspoken question, "There are signs of internal bleeding. But, the good news is, it's a slow bleed or he'd already be dead." He watched as Adair's eyes were drawn towards the pool of blood that had formed where Drake had lain. "We'll treat them like they're our own, Captain," he said kindly and gave Adair's arm an encouraging clap before leaving.

Rodney paused briefly on the other side of the ragged bulkhead door, allowing Beckett to pass through before entering the bridge. He was carrying a data recorder and several other devices. "Weir wants to meet with you both as soon as possible, but I strongly suggest a shower and a change of clothes first." He gave their grungy appearance a disdainful look, then completely ignored them as he made his way over to a bridge console and began downloading data.

"I just want to check and see how the team is coming with the bulkheads on deck C first," Adair said to Sheppard.

The colonel nodded in agreement. "I'll come with," he said, knowing that neither of them would be able to relax until everyone had been freed.

oOo

The appetizing aroma of Athosian stew filled the air of the conference room. "I doubted either of you took the time to eat," Weir said as she doled out two bowlfuls and handed them to Adair and Sheppard. She took a third bowl for herself and gestured for the captain to take a seat, giving him a wry smile. "I do appreciate, though, that you and Colonel Sheppard took advantage of a shower before you decided to join me."

"Yes, we both do," said Rodney, sopping up the last of the juices from the bottom of his bowl with a piece of bread before popping it in his mouth. His hopeful glance towards the pot of stew changed to one of disappointment when Elizabeth didn't offer to refill his bowl. He sighed and got up to ladle himself a second helping.

Adair accepted the bowl gratefully from Weir and pulled out her chair for her before taking a seat for himself, ignoring the incredulous look McKay shot him at his antiquated manners. "Thank you kindly, Ma'am. My stomach was beginning to think my throat'd been cut." He stabbed at a chunk of vegetable, popping it in his mouth, and chewed it with gusto.

"I hear all of your people are now accounted for?" said Weir, taking a small spoonful of the savory stew and blowing on it gently.

"It took awhile but we finally got to the folks trapped on Deck C," he said, shoving another spoonful of stew into his mouth and sucking in air around it when he found it too hot to chew immediately.

Weir smiled at his enthusiastic attack on the food before taking on a more serious demeanor. "This is what we've discovered while you were both busy with rescue operations." Sliding over two copies of the report, she watched as both officers slid their dinners aside to make room.

Sheppard began reading but didn't get far before he glanced up at Weir, frowning. Her slight nod confirmed his interpretation of the results. Rodney looked grim as well.

After several minutes of silence the captain paused and put down his fork altogether and flipped back and forth, rereading several sections. "This ain't right. There's nothing in those two sections of the ship that could have been the source of an explosion, even a secondary one. There's really only one possibility." He looked up at them, meeting their eyes and realizing they knew it too.

"Rodney and I agree," said Weir. "We're ready to send a preliminary report to SGC via the Stargate as soon as possible."

Adair pondered her comments for a few moments as the implications sank in. "I'd sure like to discuss this with the Commander, though, and get his take on things before you do that."

"Last report was that Colonel Caldwell was in still in surgery and I don't think this can wait, do you?"

"No," agreed Adair, looking at the report results unhappily.

"Then we're agreed. We'll alert Stargate Command immediately."

* * *

AN: Equal opportunity whumping. It was time Caldwell joined the club. Don't worry, there's enough to go around. ;-) 


	3. Chapter 3

Within an hour after sending the message to Stargate Command, one of Carson's assistants radioed Elizabeth that Colonel Caldwell was resting comfortably in recovery. Tapping her earpiece, she notified Sheppard and Captain Adair, happy to be able to have some good news to impart for a change. The Texan's explosive 'Ye-haw!' had left her ear ringing and she seriously began to wonder how he and the commander ever worked together. Then again, she thought smiling, probably the same way she and Sheppard eventually had been able to hammer out a working routine: a lot of yelling, some serious disagreements, and a large dose of mutual respect.

oOo

"We can find someplace for you and the rest of your crew to bunk tonight," Sheppard said as he led Adair down one of the many Atlantis corridors towards the infirmary. Preoccupied with his datapad, Rodney was trailing slightly behind them. "I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to stay on board, not until we're sure it's safe."

"Seems reasonable," Adair replied.

The men slowed their pace as they came upon a crowd in the hallway outside the mess hall. A mixed group of Daedalus crew and Atlantis expedition members mingled about as Dr. Biro stood to one side, a clipboard in hand, checking off names as people entered. Adair looked to Sheppard for an explanation as the congestion caused them to slow their pace.

"Blood drive," answered Sheppard, giving Biro a raised eyebrow of inquiry as they approached.

She did a quick scan of her clipboard. "Sheppard and…Adair?" At Sheppard's confirming nod, she flipped a couple of pages. "We have plenty of your type at the moment but we'll contact you if we need more."

Sheppard gave another a nod of acknowledgement, waving Adair ahead of him as they twisted their way through the dense crowd.

"Not you Dr. McKay," said the pathologist, snagging his arm as he passed by and swinging him smoothly into the mess hall. "We're running low on your blood type."

"But I need to um…to check some readouts on the Daedalus," he replied nervously, shooting a forlorn look over his shoulder at the backs of the two officers as they disappeared into the dense mass of people. "It's very important..." He looked around frantically for a possible escape route as Biro continued to pull him into the room.

"I'm sure it can wait. After all, the Daedalus is just a machine. We're saving people's lives here." She deftly wove him around the row of white lounge chairs that had been set up. The regular tables and chairs had all been shoved to one side of the room. "Here we are," she said, guiding him to the only empty chair.

It happened to be right next to one of his least favorite people. "Oh great," said McKay, sarcastically.

Cadman looked up from where she was reclining with a book. A tube of bright red snaked from her arm into a nearby bag. "Well, look who's here."

"Isn't there someplace else we can do this?" he asked Biro, turning back towards the door and possible freedom. She pushed him down into the chair as a nurse brought over a packet of supplies. Taking a seat near McKay, she began preparing his arm.

"Ouch!" he said jerking his arm away as she tried to find a vein. "Where's Beckett? You're not very competent at this."

She held the needle up in one hand with a look of long-suffering patience. "Dr. Beckett is busy treating the _wounded_. None of my other patients complain."

"You're a pathologist--all of your other patients are dead. I'm not."

"_That _can be arranged," Biro muttered in exasperation as she put a gloved hand on his arm to steady it and tried again.

"Ow." This time when he jerked away, he refused to let her grasp his arm again, keeping it out of her reach and glaring at her.

"If you'd keep your arm still…" she snapped quickly losing her patience.

"Don't be such a big baby, McKay," needled Cadman.

"Let me tell you something…" Rodney said heatedly, turning towards the young Lieutenant with the intention of giving her a thorough tongue-lashing.

"Oh, hey Katie," interrupted Cadman, as she cheerfully greeted someone behind him.

He spun his head around to see Katie Brown holding a tray full of orange juice-filled cups. There was a band-aid on the crook of her arm.

"Hi, Laura," replied the botanist, handing Cadman one of the cups. She turned to Rodney, smiling. "Rodney, how good of you to come and give blood when you're so busy with the Daedalus!"

"Yes, well, I'm…ah…always ready to do my part." The last word came out as a yelp as Biro took advantage of his distraction to slide the needle home. He gave the doctor an irritated look, which she completely ignored as she handed off the trash to the nurse and moved to her next patient.

"Isn't his self-sacrifice inspiring?" gushed Cadman, giving Rodney a saccharine smile from behind Katie's back.

Struggling to suppress his desire to leap up and strangle her, he shot her angry look instead. Cadman took the hint and ostensibly returned her attention to her book. Katie handed him the juice and his fingers briefly overlapped hers on the cup, the touch causing his nervousness to increase ten-fold.

"Oh! You're allergic!" she said suddenly, retaining her grip.

"What? Oh, yes, right. I'm allergic." He released the cup reluctantly. "To citrus. Oranges are citrus." Cadman gave snort of amusement, and Rodney glared in her direction but the lieutenant gave every appearance of being engrossed in her book.

The botanist returned the cup to the tray. "I'll see if I can find you something else," she said smiling brightly at him.

"That would be um…really…um…nice. Thank you," he finished lamely to Katie's back as she headed towards the kitchen.

"Smoooooth, McKay," said Cadman, grinning, her eyes still focused on her book.

"Oh shut up!"

oOo

"Sabotage?" Propped up on several pillows and only just shaking off the last vestiges of anesthesia, Caldwell stared at the captain in disbelief.

"We've sent a report to Stargate command with all the information available. Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Weir felt it was important to inform them as soon as possible so that they could start rechecking personnel files on their end." Adair let out an exasperated breath before pushing himself up from his seat and began to pace around his superior's bedside in agitation. "I just can't believe that one of _our_ people is responsible for this, sir."

"You did the right thing," Caldwell said tiredly, not wanting to believe it himself. But _someone_ had to be the saboteur and no one from Atlantis had been on the Daedalus since she'd arrived this last trip--which shortened the list of candidates considerably. He began turning the names of his crew over in his mind, dismissing each one as a possible suspect. Most of them he knew personally from his time in the service, and those he didn't know personally came with high recommendations from people he trusted. The person responsible _had_ to be back on Earth--didn't he?

Adair watched his commander fight the pull of sleep and knew he should leave before the Scottish doctor came back and kicked him out. He'd been warned when he'd first arrived not to overextend his visit and wear out the colonel. "I really should go so you can get some rest, sir."

"Do I look that bad, Captain?" Caldwell asked, struggling to pull his fuzzy thoughts back to the present.

With his hip resting against the foot of the bed and his arms folded across his chest, Adair cocked him a droll smile. "Sir, if you don't mind me saying so, you look like you've been rode hard and put up wet."

The senior officer gave his Captain a wry look in return for the honest assessment. "You and Sheppard do what you can to get to the bottom of this." No longer able to hold the pull of healing sleep at bay, his eyes slipped shut.

A million thoughts ran through Adair's head as he stood there taking in all the wires, tubes, and bags connected to his commander. "Yes, sir. We'll get to the bottom of this," he vowed quietly.

oOo

The day's never ending events and meetings brought the team members together again hours later to view the return databurst from Stargate Command. Seated around the large conference table, Dr. Weir had asked Sheppard, Rodney, and Capt. Adair to join her in watching General Landry's message on the laptop before them. They each had come from different directions carrying cups of coffee or other items to help keep them sharp while dropping anxiously into the vacant seats, ready to hear what news the General had to impart.

"We commend you on your handling of the situation, Captain Adair. That said, we're putting Colonel Sheppard in charge of the Atlantis end of this investigation--at least until Colonel Caldwell is released to active duty, which we're given to understand from the medical reports we received, could be awhile. I have a team rerunning all the background checks, references, and interviews of the Daedalus crew." Shifting to stare directly into the camera he paused, his gaze hardened as if he was seeing each of them watching him, before continuing. "I'm sure you are all fully aware of the grave implications of this matter. Captain Adair, we expect you and the rest of Daedalus crew to give Colonel Sheppard any and all necessary assistance and your full cooperation during this investigation. We'll exchange reports tomorrow at 1800 hours and share any pertinent information."

When the message ended, Rodney and his ever present coffee mug disappeared once more, Elizabeth made her way back to her office after telling both men she had every faith in their abilities, and Adair looked to Sheppard and shrugged. "You're the foreman."

oOo

Elizabeth strolled into the infirmary in search of her CMO. Spotting him the same time he spied her, the met up in the middle of the room. "How's he doing?"

Carson looked towards Caldwell's bed and shook his head, "Restless, feverish, agitated, and exerting himself far too much for a man who underwent surgery just hours ago to have his liver repaired."

"Can he have visitors?"

"Can you two get on for five minutes without getting into a row?" he countered. Weir and Caldwell's vehement arguments were no secret to those on Atlantis or the Daedalus.

She shrugged, not promising anything. When he didn't look amused, she quickly nodded.

Apparently that answer satisfied Beckett and he jerked his head in the direction of Caldwell's bed, giving her taciturn permission to visit.

Pulling up an empty chair to Caldwell bedside, she gave him an encouraging smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He shifted slightly to find a more comfortable position and winced as the drainage tube pulled at his injured side.

His obvious discomfort contradicted his comment but she chose to overlook it. "Dr. Beckett thinks you'll be up and around in two or three weeks."

"Dr. Beckett is overly cautious."

"Maybe," she said amiably. Hooking her heels on one of the chair rungs, she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, deliberately challenging the officer. "I don't think that's what's really bothering you, though."

His gaze narrowed and he stared hard at her, obviously becoming annoyed. "What then?"

A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You prefer to be the one in control."

"And you don't?" he said, half chuckling and wincing at the pain it cost him.

"Touché," she replied, settling back into the chair.

"Sheppard called you, didn't he?"

Her telltale brow of irritation quirked in his direction, "You're interfering with his investigation, and when Carson finds out who snuck you in a radio there's going to be hell to pay. Just accept that this is out of your hands for the moment."

"It's _my_ ship that was blown to hell, Doctor, and _my_ people who were injured," he replied heatedly. "I want to know who or what is responsible for this!" The outburst instantly sent waves of agony shooting down his side and he hissed in pain.

Beckett, alerted by Caldwell's tone, came over and injected something into the colonel's I.V. "That's enough of that now," he admonished and watched as Caldwell's eyes slid shut in unwilling response to the sedative. "Visiting hours are over Dr. Weir," he said sternly, urging her out of the chair and ushering her out the infirmary door.

oOo

Sheppard slipped into Weir's briefing room for the third time that day with mere minutes to spare. He'd spent most of his afternoon and early evening pouring over the readouts that Zelenka had managed to salvage from the Daedalus. Then he had a debriefing with Captain Adair and the engineering team, looking for any possible leads as to what had caused the explosion. After that, he'd finally been able to snag a sandwich from the mess hall on his way back. Taking a large bite, he pulled out an empty chair and sagged in relief at the luxury of finally being able to sit still for more than five minutes.

"Care to share with the rest of the team, Colonel?" Elizabeth inquired. "Or, perhaps you could inform us as to the whereabouts of Rodney?"

"Sorry," he mumbled through a mouthful of ham and cheese. With a quick swallow, he shot a glance around the room and confirmed for himself that Rodney hadn't made it back yet. "Last I saw him; he was going over the relay connections to the thruster controls with the Asgard, looking for any possible reason for the first explosion."

"Did they give you any possible leads?"

"Uh…no."

"You don't sound certain, Colonel. Was there a problem?"

"Other than McKay and the little grey guy getting into it? No, not really."

Elizabeth's left hand instantly rose to rub the invisible headache forming behind her temple. "What do you mean, 'getting in to it'?"

Sheppard popped another bite in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully while the others seated around the table waited. "They might have been a little…off task…when I last saw them. There was some sort of 'discussion' in regards to human brain capacity and Ancient genetics that was getting rather… heated."

Her hand froze in mid circle as her gaze met his. "Perhaps you'd care to go find him and have him report back here with you while we take a thirty minute break." She didn't wait for her 2IC to answer before slipping from her chair and stepping over to where Carson was seated. "Have any aspirin on you?"

oOo

Thirty minutes wasn't going to be enough time to find McKay and drag him back from his latest puzzle, but Sheppard wasn't about to tell Weir that. Hustling out to the Daedalus, he jogged through the narrow hallways, nimbly sidestepping around crewmen, before entering the bridge. The sight that greeted him was something he never imagined in a million years.

There on the floor, sticking out from beneath the main console, were two pairs of legs, each with one leg extended and the other bent at the knee. One set clothed in regulation black pants, the other gray and naked.

He gripped the edge of the terminal and leaned down to get a better view, grimacing uneasily at the Asgard's nudity. "Hey fellas, how's it going?"

Muffled voices emanated from inside the console before Rodney wiggled out and sat up, wiping his grease and soot stained hands on a rag. "We found possible remains of the original detonation device."

"Original? You mean there was more than one?"

Before Rodney had a chance to answer, Hermiod mumbled something and the scientist turned around and handed the rag back to the small grey hand sticking out from under the console behind him. "Yes, we found an encoded timing sequence hidden inside a temporary system file that was scheduled to activate once the Daedalus entered hyperspace. Now since we had to shut down the power to disengage the Wraith virus on several accounts, the sequence was restarted every time we reactivated the ship's systems."

"But you said 'original detonation device'. What was the timer connected to?"

Rodney held up one finger before lying down and sliding back underneath the console. More murmuring could be heard between the two scientists. A moment later he was back holding a fused piece of a plastic that looked like a circuit board form inside a computer.

Sheppard plucked it from McKay's hand and turned it over. "What is it?"

"We haven't quite figured that out yet. But there appears to have been wires attached that overheated, setting off a chain reaction that overloaded the life support system, causing an immediate shut down. The thing about it is that whoever set this up had to know about the emergency power and impending life support failures." When Hermiod began to mumble further, Rodney scowled over his shoulder at the alien, "I was getting to that." Picking up a small socket wrench, he handed it back under the console before continuing. "And then to cripple the thrusters? If this had happened while they were traveling within hyperspace, it would have either left them abandoned in space to die with no way to return to either galaxy, or caused the Daedalus to explode."

There was further muttering under the console. "Yes, yes, I was getting to that, too," said Rodney, irritated at the continuing interruptions. "We believe that the individual who created this program had been attempting to dismantle it after leaving Earth."

Holding up one finger in response to this news, Sheppard paused to put the pieces together of what he'd been told so far. "What do you mean? He or she may now be here on Atlantis?"

Rodney snatched the melted piece of plastic back and turned it over in his hand, pointing to a small spot of dribbled solder. "This area is more recent," he said, gesturing to one spot and then another, "than this one. We think the connections were being changed or there was even an attempt at dismantling the triggering device. Most likely, once the individual responsible discovered that he or she couldn't get off the Daedalus, and knowing the timer was being continually reset during the virus, they had little choice and didn't want to get killed themselves."

Sheppard blew out a tight breath and looked suspiciously at those working on repairs around them. "Any ideas who we need to check on first?"

"We found a device on the bridge, in the console near Colonel Caldwell's chair," Hermiod's disembodied voice stated matter-of-factly.

"Well that certainly narrows things down. Only half the crew normally has bridge access, though it's possible someone might have snuck up there at some point. McKay, can you patch Atlantis into their system so we can access their personnel…" Sheppard's face scrunched and he swore lightly under his breath, suddenly remembering why he was talking to Rodney in the first place. Pulling himself to his feet, he reached down and tugged McKay hastily to his feet. "Come on, we're late."

Clambering up, the scientist almost toppled back over when he discovered one foot had fallen asleep. Shaking it to restore circulation, he glared at Sheppard, making it quite clear he wasn't about to go anywhere. "For what? I have work to do."

The colonel caught Rodney by the arm before he could hop away. Guiding him towards the burned out doorway, he was surprised and a little disconcerted to see Hermiod had disentangled himself from the console and was following them. "Weir's briefing. We were both to be there twenty minutes ago."

oOo

Seated at a table surrounded by crew members of both Atlantis and the Daedalus, Elizabeth raised a brow but said nothing as her two department heads entered the meeting followed by the Asgard. Watching the trio take seats towards the rear of the room, she nodded to Carson to continue with his report.

"He's going to have to stay in the infirmary for at least a week, maybe longer until he's well enough to rest in general quarters. I don't think he should leave Atlantis until he's had a chance to heal."

Elizabeth took the information in stride, not happy to have the colonel stay any longer than necessary, but also not about to give the wounded officer the boot. Besides, what was she going to do--send him back through the Stargate? Then who would command the Daedalus once repairs were complete? "Keep me updated on his condition," she said and Carson gave her a nod. Turning in her seat, she flipped her stack of papers to the next page. "Dr. Zelenka, have you discovered any other anomalies within the readouts?"

"Anomalies?" Rodney popped a questioning hand in the air before Radek had a chance to answer.

"Yes. I found an access code…"

Sheppard cleared his throat, catching Elizabeth's eye and shaking his head slightly. Realizing that he wanted her to stop Radek, she reached over and tapped the scientist on the arm, "Just a moment."

Radek looked over to Rodney and noticed his coworker frowning. "What?"

"Z, I think the grease twins here found something they'd like to show you down in McKay's lab," Sheppard hastily explained.

"Colonel, is it imperative that they leave now?" Weir asked.

"I think it would be a good idea."

Rodney frowned. "Actually, I'd like a chance to grab a bite…"

"McKay…" Sheppard drawled, "We'll meet you in the lab, in say fifteen minutes."

Rodney blinked but said nothing. Licking his lips, he stood up and followed Radek out into the hallway with the Asgard trailing close behind. "Something happen while I was gone?" he asked once the door closed behind them.

"You first," Radek demanded.

Hermiod's large, dark eyes blinked in boredom at the Czech scientist. "We have discovered physical evidence of a saboteur's attempt to disable the Daedalus."

"Saboteurs," Radek corrected, stressing the 's' and giving the alien an irritated glare.

"There's more than one?" Rodney squeaked and glanced quickly up and down the hallway, giving a wide berth around individuals he didn't recognize as they passed by.

"I discovered three separate instances of tampering so far in ships logs. I do not think they could have all been accomplished by a single individual."

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

Rodney groggily dragged himself back to the lab after a few short hours of restless sleep. He figured the cause of his current state was either from the post adrenaline rush of Adair's near crash landing and his life passing before his eyes, or the fact that he and Radek had spent hours deciphering hidden text messages from unknown saboteurs discovered in the Deadalus logs until the early morning hours. One thing was for certain, it was going to be at least a pot and a half breakfast and someone had damn well better have something brewing by the time he made it to his lab. Eyes half closed as he made his way through the corridor to his lab, he brushed shoulders with one of the Daedalus crewmembers headed in the opposite direction. They seemed to be everywhere these days. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No problem, Dr. McKay." The crewmember reached out and caught the scientist's arm a moment to steady him before continuing down the hall. "You look like you could use some coffee," he called over his shoulder.

Rodney squinted sarcastically but the man had already rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Continuing towards the lab, he grumpily rubbed his arm where the ensign's firm grip had bruised it. Why is it the military thought force was the answer to everything?

When the doors slid open and the deep aroma instantly caught Rodney's attention and he forgot all about his sore arm. Heading straight for the pot, he snagged his favorite mug off his desk on the way, ignorning everyone and everything until the first mugful disappeared and he was pouring his second. Only then did he notice Radek leaning against the wall watching him with his arms crossed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What!" he snapped, topping off his third cup before making his way over to his laptop.

"You are," Zelenka muttered to himself, "what is the word?" He looked back at Rodney, "Oh yes, 'cranky'. You are _cranky_ before your first three cups of coffee."

Rodney chose to ignore the comment as he booted up his system and studied the readouts they had acquired only hours before. Stopping a moment to rub away his blurry vision, he scowled when he had trouble focusing and reached down for his mug. It was definitely going to be a pot and a half morning.

"Okay, let's go back over this again," he directed to Radek as he absentmindedly picked up his cup, but lost his grip when the hot liquid spilled over his hand. Instantly shaking it in the air, he dropped the mug, its contents spilling across the table, as he raced over to the sink and ran his burnt fingers under cold water.

Radek snatched a towel and sopped up the mess, sliding Rodney's computer out of the way before anything else happened. "Do we need to see Dr. Beckett?"

"We? No, _we _don't _need_ to see Beckett." He flexed his reddened fingers, scowling at the discomfort. "What _we_ need is to go back over to the Daedalus and show Hermiod what we found. Maybe there's a way to trace the messages to a specific terminal onboard the ship."

Stepping between the now half empty pot and his agitated superior, Radek shrugged. "After breakfast."

"We don't have time for breakfast," Rodney growled, closing his laptop and pinning it under one arm while still fussing with the sore fingers on his other hand.

Radek refused to be bullied. "Breakfast or I tell Dr. Beckett you burnt your hand."

"What are you, my mother?" When the smaller scientist reached for his earpiece, his finger threatening to activate it, Rodney huffed. "Fine, hopefully we'll get there before Dex has eaten everything."

"I have never seen someone eat as much as he can," Zelenka added, following McKay out the door. When Rodney practically ran into a doorframe, Radek grabbed him and steered him down the hallway, taking the laptop from the distracted scientist before it also became a victim.

McKay never even noticed, he was too busy thinking about food. "You should see him off world," he mumbled as they made their way into the cafeteria and stepped up to the serving line.

oOo

Seated across the room, Sheppard watched the two scientists grab some breakfast and make their way to an empty table along the edge of the room. Deep in conversation, the pair didn't appear to notice anyone else in the room as they huddled over a laptop while chomping on bagels.

He grinned and shook his head before returning his attention to those at his table. "Teyla, how did your trading mission go?"

"It went well, thank you. We made a very good bargain. It was not half as exciting as your week though." She looked pointedly at Adair as the tall man pulled out a chair one handed, spun it around backwards, and sat down while balancing his tray with his other hand.

"Oh! Sorry," said Sheppard. "Teyla, allow me to introduce Captain Austin Adair. Captain Adair, Teyla Emmagan of the Athosian people _and_ a valued member of my team."

Adair held out his hand and shook hers. "Ma'am you are about the prettiest little thing I ever did see."

"Why…thank you," she said, a little taken aback by his comment.

"And I bet you can outthink a cow, too."

Sheppard, who had been in mid-swallow, started coughing and had to take several gulps of coffee before he was able to stop. Teyla merely cocked her head at the captain while frowning slightly. "And this is a good thing?"

"Oh, absolutely, ma'am."

"Well, then, I thank you for your…compliment," she said, smiling wryly. "Now if you gentlemen will excuse me." She picked up her empty tray and made to leave the table.

Adair immediately stood and Teyla gave him a smile for his courtesy before making her way out of the mess hall. The Texan stared longingly after her.

"She can kick your ass in a fight, too," Sheppard informed him, amused by the whole exchange.

The captain sighed as he stood watching a moment longer, breakfast clearly forgotten. "And that's a bad thing?"

Sheppard snorted and then delved back into his scrambled eggs. "There are some off-world assignments that I need to go over with the expedition teams this morning, but I'll be free this afternoon to continue our investigation."

"Fine with me, Sir." Adair sat back down and reached for his cup of coffee, draining it in one large gulp. "There's plenty of damage aboard the Daedalus that needs fixin'. I can lend a hand with that in the meantime."

"I think that's a good idea. We don't want whoever is behind this to know that we are on to them so I suggest we make it look as though we believe the accident is an equipment malfunction." Taking another swig of his own coffee, he stopped and set his cup back on his tray. "Just to be safe though, let's have teams of at least three in each area and mix in some Marines while we're at it. I don't want anyone left alone."

Adair nodded in agreement. "I'll ride herd until you get there."

oOo

Rodney struggled to juggle a stack of printouts, a bagel, and the ubiquitous cup of coffee as he made his way through the maze of Daedalus corridors, threading his way though the various repair crews. He shifted the items in an attempt to get a bite of his snack, or at least a sip of coffee, but the pages started to slide and he quickly abandoned the idea before everything in his arms ended up on the floor.

Tired, and not wanting to have to search the entire ship, he waylaid a passing ensign. "I'm looking for Captain Adair."

The man jerked his thumb to indicate the way he had just come. "Just follow the noi…um…singing, sir."

Rodney frowned in irritation at the vague directions but headed down the indicated passageway; realizing after a moment that the odd faint echo he was hearing _was_ someone singing...

"…_but I always come back to myself long before daylight…"_

He cringed as the singer, who he suddenly realized was Adair, kept falling in and out of tune with the music. As he rounded the corner towards engineering, the singing got noticeably louder.

"_But aaaaall my exes live in Texas and that's why I hang my hat in Tennesseeeeeeeeee."_

He cautiously entered engineering to see Lieutenant McEnroe at one of the consoles and a pair of boots sticking out from a nearby access conduit in the wall. A series of grunts and bangs emanated from inside the small space. One of the Atlantis marines who was pulling guard duty gave a bored yawn from the far corner of the room.

"I'm a pilot because I _flunked out_ of engineering school, Sir," the young Lieutenant was apparently reminding the captain.

"Shit, Marty," Adair scoffed from inside the access tunnel, his drawl turning the first word into two syllables. "All you gotta do is flick the switch when I tell ya, watch the little doo-hicky on the console, and tell me when it goes from green to yellow. Just be sure to say something before it hits red."

Settling himself at the console, Marty checked the green gauge carefully, tapping it lightly with a fingernail to make sure it was functioning properly. "What happens if it goes into the red?" he asked over his shoulder, suddenly curious.

"We explode," was the muffled, matter-of-fact reply.

The Lieutenant started to laugh but quickly fell silent when Adair didn't join in. He looked nervously again at the console's dial.

"Shouldn't your chief engineer be handling this?" McKay asked, glancing curiously at the George Strait CD cover lying open on one of the consoles. He set down the stack of papers used the opportunity to take a bite of his bagel and a small sip of the scalding coffee.

"Well, seeing as our chief engineer is currently in sickbay with busted ribs, I thought I'd take a shot and fix what I can. Is that Doctor McKay?"

"Yes. And it's 'infirmary'," corrected Rodney automatically.

"What?" Adair asked, obviously having trouble hearing from inside the conduit.

Rodney picked up the CD and flipped it over, reading the back cover and raised his voice, "You said sickbay. A sickbay is on a ship. Atlantis is a city. It's called the infirmary." He put the CD back down and took another bite of his bagel before picking up his coffee cup, blowing on the hot liquid to cool it.

"You say 'pinto', I say 'paint'," was the disembodied reply.

"What?" McKay stopped blowing on his cup and squinted at the boots, not understanding the reference.

"Try it now, Marty," was the only reply.

The young lieutenant obediently flipped the switch, watching the console with rapt attention. The very instant the dial crept into the yellow area he gave a piercing yell of 'Now!' that caused McKay to give a startled jumped.

Rodney's hot coffee sloshed over the side of the cup onto his already tender fingers and he dropped it with a curse, waving his hand frantically in an attempt to relieve the fresh burning pain. He glared at the McEnroe who was still nervously watching the dial as it crept a little further into the yellow zone, completely oblivious to the mess he had caused.

Deciding to wait and vent his fury until the Lieutenant no longer held their lives in his hands, Rodney reached down to retrieve his cup from the floor. He had to lean against the console briefly from the headrush that resulted when he picked up his cup from the floor. "Damn Biro and her blood drive," he thought. As if there weren't plenty of other people on base with his blood type.

There was a muffled chuckle from Adair, apparently in response to the young lieutenant's overreaction, then a snick from inside the conduit and suddenly the lights in the room increased their brightness to full strength and the dial fell back into the green area. McEnroe gave an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"That's got it," said Adair, carefully crawling backward out of the access tunnel. He wiped his hands on a rag McEnroe provided. "What was it you wanted?" he asked, turning to McKay.

Rodney set his empty cup down on the edge of McEnroe's console with a glare at the young man before he shuffled through his pile of papers, pulling several pages free and passing them to the captain. "I wanted to know if," he paused, looking down and scowling at the lieutenant who was listening intently.

Adair followed the scientist's gaze. "Marty, why don't you take a break, we've been at this all morning. Here," he said handing the young man the electrical manual he'd been using in the access tunnel. "Swing by and drop this off to Chuck on the bridge your way out."

The young officer didn't have to be told twice, apparently anxious to leave before he got drafted into any other death defying repairs. The guard automatically trailed after him leaving McKay and Adair alone.

"Yes, well, as I was saying, I wanted to know if you were familiar with any on this list of names that Zelenka and I put together last night."

The captain read down through the page, his eyes drawing into a tight line. "I know most of them personally and wouldn't be shy about having them watch my back. A couple of these fellas though I know by name only." The console they were standing next to suddenly sparked. Both men jumped back in surprise as it erupted into flames.

Adair quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher off a nearby wall and sprayed retardant at the panel, effectively knocking the rest of Rodney's papers and the empty coffee cup to the floor once more while putting out the small fire.

McKay ran over to the relay panel on the other side of the room and began typing furiously on the keyboard. Scowling at the information drawn up on the screen, he spun around to stare, searching for something or someone.

"What is it, doc?" Adair snapped, his hand automatically going to his hip for his sidearm. Caldwell had talked Sheppard into arming a few of his most trusted officers.

"There's an energy spike reading that was initiated from the bridge."

"The bridge? Crews have been up there since yesterday fixing the damage. Maybe somebody crossed some wires by mistake?" Adair asked hopefully.

Rodney turned back to the console and tapped several more keys. Licking his lips nervously he pointed to the new information. "This wasn't an accident."

oOo

Adair raced through the passageways and corridors, clambering up the stairs leading to the main level, before bursting onto the bridge with McKay right behind him. They found the room filled with technicians and engineers busily replacing damaged components, all of whom stopped working to look up in surprise as the duo rushed in.

Scanning all the faces, the captain recognized all of the crew. "Was there anyone else working up here just a few minutes ago?" he asked.

Several individuals nodded.

"People have been in and out all day sir," a young ensign answered.

"Freaking Grand Central Station," another mumbled.

Rodney stepped over to the main board, set his papers down, and began shakily typing on the keyboard. Nodding to himself as his fingers flew; he looked up to Adair and met the Texan's questioning glance. "It came from here," he confirmed.

"Gawd Dang it!" Adair exploded. He checked his watch and threw his hands up in the air. "_And_ I'm due to meet with the commander in twenty minutes and give him a status report on our progress. What the hell am I supposed to tell him?"

oOo

Carson caught the young captain as the man came striding through the infirmary doorway heading determinedly towards his commander. "Now look here," the physician said, pinning Adair to the infirmary wall with a forefinger and a steely glare. "I won't have the lot of you disturbing and upsetting the Colonel. He needs rest to recover."

"Easy, Doc. He asked me to come down here; and I reckon when my superior officer requests the honor of my presence, I don't have much choice in the matter, now do I?"

Beckett glared at him a moment longer, then lowered his finger. "Fine, but you better not upset him or so help me…" he left the threat unfinished. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Clearer than a cold mountain spring on a summer's day," replied Adair.

Beckett thought about that for a moment, finally deciding it was the affirmative answer he wanted, and waved the Texan toward the colonel's bed.

"Captain!" greeted Caldwell in relief when he saw his officer approach. "I was beginning to think you hadn't gotten my message."

"Sorry I'm late," he said, taking a seat by the Colonel's bed. "But we've had another sabotage attempt."

"What!"

"Keep it down, sir." Adair glanced around warily. "The doc there will have me gelded if I get you riled up." He jerked his head towards Beckett who was busy checking the bandages on Lieutenant Drake's leg.

Caldwell waved off the threat impatiently. "He's all bark."

"Begging your pardon, sir, but it wasn't you he was snortin' fire at just a second ago."

"Enough of that," said Caldwell, dismissing the incident. "Fill me in on what we know so far."

Adair took a chair by his commander's bed and handed over the printouts while filling him in on everything that had just happened. He had just finished his report when they were interrupted by a pretty nurse who gave the captain a smile and a saucy wink as she injected medication into the colonel's I.V. port. Adair grinned back, concluding that Atlantis had more than its fair share of attractive women.

The colonel fretted at the delay, waiting impatiently until the nurse left so that he could continue their discussion. "This just doesn't add up. It's too well-organized. I'm beginning to think there's a third party involved."

"What do you mean, Sir?" Adair instinctively leaned in at the Colonel's circumspect tone. "You think maybe a foreign government…?"

"Think closer to home." Caldwell shifted, trying to get more comfortable. "There's more than one of our own in-house organizations who have been caught using 'unorthodox' methods to reach their goals." He grimaced and shifted again.

Adair noticed his commander's discomfort and frowned. "You okay, Sir?" Glancing around for someone to help, he managed to catch Beckett's eye just as one of Caldwell's monitors began to beep insistently.

The doctor was at their side in an instant. "Colonel?" he asked, studying the monitors and placing a hand lightly on the injured man's shoulder.

"My chest feels tight and it's getting a little hard to breath," Caldwell gasped.

Beckett reached up and unhooked an oxygen mask from above the colonel's bed, settling it on his face and adjusted the angle of the bed slightly higher. "Better?"

Caldwell closed his eyes and nodded.

"This came on suddenly? No warning?" Beckett asked Adair. His eyes flickered between the Colonel's pale face and the monitors that continued to beep unhappily.

"Far as I could tell," Adair replied. At the doctor's skeptical look he continued, "Honest Doc, we were just sitting here _calmly_ talking. If you don't believe me, ask the nurse."

"Which nurse?" Beckett asked distractedly as he took Caldwell's pulse.

"The little blonde filly who was here not two minutes gone," the captain answered, glancing around the room then added uncertainly, "though I don't see her now." He was suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding. "She gave the Colonel some medication."

"I didn't order any medication." Carson quickly checked Caldwell's chart. "And there's nothing noted here." He pinned the man with an intense stare. "How was it administered?"

"What?"

"Did she give him a pill? Did she inject him? Think man," he said urgently.

"Ah…" Adair searched his memory. He hadn't really been paying much attention to what the cute blonde was doing with her hands, he'd been so captivated by her smile. Playing back the moment his head, he snapped his fingers. "She injected it into his I.V."

Beckett reached over and immediately crimped the line before deftly disengaging the needle. "Kelli, I need a new I.V. setup here," he called. The nurse appeared instantly, trading the fresh I.V. bag and accompanying paraphernalia for the used tubing Beckett handed her. "Take this to the lab and have them analyze it immediately," he said quietly. "Someone injected something into this and I want to know what it was." She gave him a wide-eyed nod and disappeared toward the lab.

Beckett quickly hooked up the new I.V., briefly checking the seals to make sure it hadn't been tampered with. The colonel was growing increasingly gray despite the oxygen and was now covered with a cold sheen of sweat. Quickly attaching several heart leads with the assistance of another nurse, he watched as cardiac arrhythmias bounced with a sporadic increase across the screen. "What's his pressure?"

"It's rising rapidly, doctor," the nurse replied.

"Get me Atenolol!" he snapped to another nurse who quickly came back with the medication. Drawing the clear liquid into the syringe, he checked the dosage before injecting it into the IV.

So intent on watching what was happening, Adair didn't notice Sheppard had entered the infirmary. The lieutenant colonel stepped up to the stricken officer's side. "Come on," he said quietly, taking the captain by the arm and tugging him back out of the way. "We have to give Beckett room to work."


	5. Chapter 5

Adair wasn't surprised to find himself shuttled back to McKay's lab, but it was seeing Hermiod in a lab coat, seated between Zelenka and McKay that actually made him chuckle despite their situation.

"Well, that's a new one. How'd they get the little guy to gussy up?" he asked Sheppard.

"Rodney told him it was for sanitation reasons because some of the stuff from Atlantis might contaminate his Asgard skin."

"Oh, that's good."

"Thanks, it was my idea." Sheppard quipped with a grin as he steered Adair over to the work table the scientists were using. It was covered in papers, pieces of plastic, several laptops, and multitudes of standard issue white cafeteria coffee cups, many containing the sad remnants of their long-cold contents. "Boys, it looks like you've been busy while I was gone."

All three heads snapped up from their projects in surprise.

"Colonel Caldwell?" Hermiod asked, tipping his head in Adair's direction.

"Doc has him stable and resting."

The room grew silent at the news until Rodney spoke up, turning his laptop around for the newcomers to see. "We found your mystery nurse." Tapping a folder, an image of the blonde nurse appeared only this time she was a brunette.

Adair tugged the system across the table and peered closely at the picture. "That _is_ the same woman."

"Of course it is," Rodney grunted while pulling up a parallel folder with a picture of the mystery nurse working in the infirmary alongside Caldwell, Adair's image was just visible at the edge of the photo.

"I'm having a real hard time knowing she tried to kill the colonel right in front of me," the Texan snarled, disgusted at himself for being taken in by a pretty face. "I want to know who she is."

"Hold your horses, Captain, and pull up a stool because our boys here found her," Sheppard said with a sardonic smile. "As well as a few other things" Taking up an empty stool for himself, he sat next to his chief scientist. "McKay, why don't you tell us what's behind barn door number one."

Rodney sat back down on his own stool and reached for his coffee cup, only to find half an inch of cold dregs. Rubbing his tired eyes and sighing, he returned his focus to his computer. After flipping through several screens, he stopped at a security image from on board the Daedalus showing the woman. "According to the Daedalus personnel reports, this is Dr. Anne Smith." His brow rose to the others, mocking the originality of the name 'Smith'. "She came on board when you picked up supplies one month prior to the trip back to Atlantis. According to her file, she is a medical officer, second class, assigned to your CMO. But when we checked with him, he never heard of her."

Adair scrubbed his face with his hands. "I don't recall ever seeing her either. How could she slip on board without anyone noticing?"

"The same way she slipped past Stargate Command," Rodney replied. "Because she doesn't really exist. When we sent her picture and file back for review, their records showed that no such person listed in the SGC database."

"I don't understand," said Adair.

"Someone reprogrammed the computers to recognize her security code. A code that had never been issued by Stargate Command, by the way. After reading the code, the computer was programmed to "forget" it after fifteen minutes. Any of the guards," Rodney snorted slightly at the simplicity of outsmarting military guards, "would have run the ident code she gave them and the computer would have automatically passed her through. During that time, she could do anything she wanted, including bypassing the security system to allow anyone else on board she wanted."

"Somebody screwed up on that one," said Sheppard.

"No doubt due to the military's extremely poor foresight..."

"Rodney," Sheppard warned.

The scientist dropped the tirade and continued with his explanation. "Fifteen minutes later, she effectively never existed. In computer logic, if she didn't exist, neither could her commands so there's no direct record of what she did, just pieces of programming code that survived because it was automatically copied into other parts of the system so the commands could be processed. Once on board, all she'd have to do is stay out of sight."

"It ain't that easy to stay out of sight for weeks, even on board a ship as big as the Daedalus," said Adair.

"Did I _say _it would have been easy?"

"Why stowaway at all?" Sheppard asked. "Why not just plant the bomb and leave?"

"I'm guessing they wanted someone who could adapt to changes in circumstances. Computers are great, but they only do _what _you tell them to do _when_ you tell them to do it. Plus, I suspect they wanted to hijack the ship, not destroy it."

Sheppard spun the file in so he could more easily read it and frowned. "Do we know where she is now?"

Radek reached in front of the colonel and tapped a key bringing up another photo of 'Dr. Smith' standing outside along the water. "Using security footage, we tracked her to East Pier. Once she boarded Daedalus, we lost her."

"What do you mean 'you lost her'?"

The scientist took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Our feed from Daedalus was terminated."

"Okay, well we knew there was more than one person and now that she's been exposed, she'll need to go underground and someone else will have to take up the slack."

"So you think them snakes are been hiding out on my ship?"

Sheppard nodded, "Looks that way, although they clearly have access to Atlantis as well. And by now, it's a good guess that they've probably helped themselves to a few of our uniforms while they were at it."

Rodney pushed his stool back and made his way over to the empty coffee maker. When he dropped the foil packet of grounds twice in a row, Sheppard stepped over and swiped them before they fell for a third time.

"What's going on?" he whispered to the scientist.

"Would you believe I haven't been able to get a decent cup of coffee all day? Zelenka had a pot going this morning, but I didn't get more than a sip. I've either dropped it, had it knocked out of my hand, found the pot dry, or forgotten where I put it."

Sheppard chuckled over the frailties of caffeine-deprived scientists and shook his head. Giving McKay a friendly push back to the table, he started a fresh pot. "Z, you trying to get fired?" When the Czech looked over at him confused, he pointed to the pot and then Rodney, "You've only made him one? What kind of mad scientist are you?"

"I have advanced science degrees. I am not personal man servant and I do not make or drink that black tar."

"What? Take pity on him this morning?"

Radek shook his head and glared at Rodney. "It was made when I got here in morning. I assume Keiko was being her usual ingratiating self." He gave Sheppard a wink. They both knew the shy Japanese scientist had a crush on McKay, though Rodney seemed completely oblivious to the fact.

"I hate to break up the little quilting circle y'all got going here, but can we get back to the topic at hand?" Adair's easygoing spirit appeared to be slipping. "Who is trying to kill my commander and wreck my ship?"

Hermiod's dark eyes fixed on the captain. "It remains unclear as to why Colonel Caldwell has been targeted."

"So, all you fellas figured out today is that our assassin is a woman doctor?"

Rodney pursed his lips in displeasure. "We have found coded text messages that appears to be from at least three individuals, pieces of a timing device, hidden programs configured to disable the Daedalus…"

"Wait. Go back," Adair interrupted, "to the messages. What'd they say?"

Radek sifted through the loose pages on the table and laid out several in front of the others. "First one is mention of resetting of timer. After that, there are several about taking the ship, termination of Colonel Caldwell, sending message to others, change of plans, and overriding access codes."

Sheppard picked up the last page and reread it before dropping it back to the pile. "Sounds to me like they're just after the ship. Hitting Caldwell was just to get him out of the picture. When they failed, they tried again in the infirmary. That was a stupid move on their part because it put at least one of them out in the open. We need to flush them back out again because now they are dug in snug on Daedalus and will be waiting for us to make the next move."

"What do you have in mind?" Adair asked.

The coffee pot made a final hiss of completion and Rodney quickly rose, snagging his cup from the table and not even bothering to dump out what little remained from one of his previous coffee misadventures of the morning before filling it with fresh brew.

Sheppard tapped an empty mug on the table, signaling to Rodney for a refill also, before continuing. "How soon before she can fly again?" he asked Hermiod.

"Currently, the Daedalus is operational but there is still considerable damage to be repaired."

"But, they could fly it out of here if they had the chance?"

"It would be difficult, but yes."

"Then we need to get on board and stop them before they have the opportunity."

"Opportunity to do what?" Carson asked while entering the room with Teyla at his side, his own steaming cup of coffee in hand that he sat on the table in front of him. Taking up Rodney's abandoned stool, the physician completely missed the look of utter contempt aimed his way from the now seatless, and disgruntled, scientist.

"Carson, how nice of you to join us," Rodney said, setting his cup down on the table and making a point of moving the laptop from in front of his former chair to where he was now standing. He nearly knocked over his cup for the 3rd time that morning in the process. Carson helpfully slid the cups out of the way.

Sheppard hid a smile behind his hand. "How's Caldwell? Find out what happened to him?"

"Aye, if we were back home we would have totally missed it, but the equipment on Atlantis has a greater scope. He was injected with a heavy dose of epinephrine." He glanced at Adair across the table, "Good thing you were there with him, son, to catch it when it happened or he could have gone into cardiac arrest."

"But he's gonna be okay?" Adair drawled.

"That on top of an already serious injury _is_ a setback, and will undoubtedly delay his recovery, but overall he should be fine." Picking up the closest cup and taking a sip of the hot beverage, Carson closed his eyes and savored the warmth as it slid down his throat.

Rodney, attracted by the bliss on the Scot's face, quickly followed suite, half emptying his cup in three large gulps. "Finally! Coffee!"

Carson took another sip and grimaced at the slightly bitter aftertaste. "I asked Ronon to keep an eye on the colonel, figuring the only one who could possibly get past him would be Teyla and she offered to come down here with me." He gave the Athosian a teasing glance.

"Good thinking, doc. Okay everyone, we need to break up into two teams and search the Daedalus. I'll take McKay and Beckett. Captain, you take Teyla and Zelenka. Hermiod, it's your choice as to what you want to do. Let's concentrate on engineering and the bridge. If they are going to try and fly her out of here, those are the places they'll need to head to first." Taking a quick swig from his own cup, he stood up and pushed his stool back leaving the rest of his drink on the table.

Adair seemed quite pleased to have Teyla on his team and gave her trim figure an appreciative glance as the scientists tidied up their papers in preparation to leave. Teyla caught his look and tipped her head sideways; giving the newcomer one of her patented raised brows Her expression clearly suggested that his attention might be better directed elsewhere given their current situation.

Sheppard noticed the exchange and leaned in towards Adair, speaking softly so he wouldn't be overheard. "Kick. Your. Ass." He reminded the cowboy.

"Feisty women don't scare _me_ none, Sir," the cowboy replied out of the corner of his mouth while giving the Athosian his most winsome smile.

Teyla merely rolled her eyes in exasperation at both of them before turning to help Zelenka gather up the last of his printouts.

Rodney, meanwhile, attempted to gulp down the remainder of his own cup before Carson could snatch it from his hand as Sheppard tugged him away from the table. When the physician succeeded and shook his head as if to say 'no more', the scientist glared and was ready to snap but stopped when the Scot suddenly leaned sideways and began to sag towards the floor. Coffee quickly forgotten, Rodney reached to grab Beckett seconds before the physician's head would have connected with the unforgiving surface.

Sheppard instantly dropped beside them, paging a medical emergency to Rodney's lab. When he noticed the physician's eyes were still open, though glazed, he patted him on the cheeks. "Come on, stay with me," he ordered. "Tell me what's happening."

It was clear Carson was in serious trouble when his eyes rolled back in his head and he grew limp in Rodney's grasp.

Several med techs scurried into the room and surrounded them, leaving Sheppard to join the rest of the team standing alongside the edge of the room.

Adair watched with growing unease. "Do you think this is another attempt to stop the investigation?"

"Has to be. And whatever it was that took him down, acted fast."

"The coffee," Radek suggested as he stood back and watched the gurney carrying Beckett go past, Rodney following closely behind it.

"Perhaps, Colonel, we should also go to the infirmary?" said Teyla.

He knew she was right. "Captain, keep an eye on things in here and report to me as soon as you find anything." Sliding a pencil through the handle, he picked up Carson's mug, which had fallen to the floor when the doctor collapsed, and passed it to Zelenka for analysis.

"Will do, sir." Adair watched the officer leave the room and then joined Zelenka and Hermiod. "It looks like it's just us fellas. Let's see what we can find."

oOo

It was over two hours later before the group found themselves reassembled surrounding Carson's bed in the infirmary. The doctor was still mostly out of it although he was no longer in danger--according to what they had been told by various members of his staff. Rodney had taken up residence on the foot of the physician's bed, watching the nurses suspiciously as they moved quietly about the room full of patients. He wasn't about to give the saboteurs another chance.

After Adair did a quick check on Caldwell and found his superior asleep, he joined the rest of the team.

Carson's second in command stepped up to the bed, taking the doctor's pulse. "We gave him something to help counter act the poison after we pumped his stomach. He's going to miserable but fine in a few hours," he assured the group. "It's lucky you were with him considering the speed the poison took effect. If he had been alone when it happened…" The doctor left the sentence unfinished and waved Rodney off the bed, standing back to give them room to pass. Watching them file silently past, he nodded, "Be careful."

As they made their way out across the pier to the Daedalus, Rodney could no longer stay quiet and shook his head in disgust. "Did he say, 'be careful'? Why didn't he just paint a bull's eye on us and stick us in front of a firing squad?"

"Rodney," Sheppard warned with a jab to the scientist's ribs.

In typical McKay fashion, he'd missed the colonel's exhausted tone and snapped. "What?"

"Shut up."

* * *

The action picks back up big-time next chapter so stay tuned cowpokes! 


	6. Chapter 6

The group split up once they boarded the Daedalus, with Sheppard and McKay heading off towards engineering while Adair led his team to the bridge.

As Caldwell had told Sheppard, Adair knew every inch of this ship like the back of his hand. His wary eyes didn't miss a thing as they weaved around several different repair crews, quickly sidestepping at times to avoid welding sparks, or to duck before they brained themselves hanging panels overhead. Zelenka kept pace with him though his attention was focused on the device he held in his hand. Teyla had fallen a few steps behind as she looked around in rapt fascination, taking in the interior of the vast ship, which up until this point she had only seen from the outside.

"That gal Teyla…she sweet on anybody?" Adair asked cutting his gaze towards Zelenka.

The Czech gave a wry smile, his focus never leaving the small screen he held in his hand. "I do not know. But if I were you, I would be more concerned that she will discover what a 'cow' is before you can depart for safety of Earth."

Adair frowned. "Word sure travels fast around here."

"Oh yes, there are no secrets on Atlantis," said the Czech, pushing up his glasses and smirking at the cowboy before focusing once again on his sensor pad.

Adair came to a sudden stop, then did a purposeful turn on heel before walking back to the repair crew they had just passed at the other end of the hall. Zelenka walked several yards before he realized he was alone and halted, looking back curiously.

"Is there a problem, Captain?" asked Teyla in confusion as he passed her on his way back down the hall.

"Not for long," he said to her over his shoulder before he returned his attention to the repair team. As he approached them, his stern bark echoed in the tight corridor, "Ensign Radcliff, what are you doing here? I thought you were assigned to a team in engineering?"

"Um…" the ensign looked to his colleagues for help but they all became exceedingly industrious at their repairs. "I switched with Lieutenant Jones, sir. He said the welding fumes were bothering him."

"Ensign, there's a reason why we assigned _random_ personnel to each area! It was so the saboteurs couldn't team up without someone noticing."

As Adair proceeded to dress down the hapless young ensign, Zelenka studied the anomalous readings that were now appearing on his screen. He realized they were coming from somewhere ahead of him and he took a few steps, confirming the source was nearby when the readings became noticeably stronger. Completely engrossed, he continued to walk, turning the corner as he followed the readings to a small, enclosed room.

Caution reasserted itself as he took a moment to peer in the door's window before he guardedly palmed it open, pausing on the threshold when a sudden feeling of dread washed over him. As the missing 'nurse' stepped out from her position against the wall, holding a gun on him, he mentally cursed himself for not listening to his inner voice. She put her fingers to her lips, enforcing her desire for silence with a warning flick of her gun, then crooked her finger to indicate that he should follow her into the room. Hesitantly he obeyed and stepped past her. The door slid shut behind him but he never noticed, collapsing silently to the floor instead when her gun butt impacted with the back of his head.

The sound of people talking nearby caused her to press back against the wall as two workers passed by the door. Certain that she remained undiscovered, she used her foot to shove the Atlantis scientist against the wall before activating the door control and heading out to find her accomplices.

oOo

Taking a few impatient steps towards Captain Adair before looking over her shoulder towards Dr. Zelenka for support, Teyla was surprised to find the scientist noticeably absent. After glancing back at the still engrossed officer, she frowned and made her way to the opposite end of the hallway, looking cautiously around the corner for the missing member of their group. A muffled thump from a nearby room attracted her attention and she proceeded carefully, tense and alert. She was surprised when the door to a small room slid open and revealed Dr. Zelenka lying prone on the floor

Quickly entering to assist her teammate, she stopped before dropping to her knees, sensing another person behind her. Spinning around, she found herself confronted with the nurse from the pictures they had been shown earlier. She instantly threw a high kick that slammed the woman against the wall, giving the Athosian the opportunity to grab the saboteur's wrist and wrest the gun from her hand.

The other woman, also a skilled fighter, struggled to maintain her hold on the weapon. Her finger tensing on the trigger, she attempted to sweep Teyla off her feet with a well placed kick of her own but missed when her lithe opponent efficiently jarred her shoulder against the wall. The gun fired as her finger reflexively tightened.

A sudden loud hiss and burst of coolant erupted from the ceiling, effectively spraying all the occupants in the small room. When the assailant instinctively glanced at the damaged pipe, Teyla took the opportunity to grab the gun with her left hand while jamming her right elbow into the saboteur's face, slamming the woman's head roughly into the wall behind her. Teyla's opponent dropped instantly to the floor.

Taking a moment to catch her breath in the stifling room, Teyla spun around at the sound of Zelenka coughing harshly behind her. In the process, she missed seeing the saboteur stumble to her feet and stagger out the door. The woman hit the control panel and sealed the alcove before tearing off the cover and crossing several wires that spit sparks before she disappeared down the hall.

Teyla dragged the semi-conscious Zelenka towards the door, stopping in frustration when she found it would not open. Now coughing herself, she looked around desperately for a means of escape.

oOo

Adair, alerted by the noise, glanced over his shoulder and noticed Teyla and Zelenka were nowhere to be seen. "This conversation ain't over. Not by a long shot," he warned the ensign before jogging down the hall in search of the rest of his team.

The smoking control panel immediately caught his attention as he rounded the corner and cautiously approached the door, peering through the small window. He saw Teyla and Zelenka crouched in one corner of the room while an overhead pipe vented deadly coolant. Spinning around, he raced back the way he had come and shouted at the repair crew for help before paging an emergency medical team.

"I'll get a cutting torch," suggested one of the breathless men as they arrived and took in the scene before them.

"There isn't time; it took us more than an hour to cut through before. Harris, go to Junction 8 and see if you can shut off the coolant. Anderson, Radcliff try and get that door open," he said pointing to the panel.

"This is totally fried," said the technician, ignoring his burned fingertips as he tried to reconnect the door mechanism. "It'll take too long to repair."

Adair pulled his weapon from his holster and started pounding on the small window with the butt of his gun.

"Sir, that's a reinforced composite. It's made to withstand depressurization. You're never going to break it."

"I'm not trying to break it," snapped Adair, still pounding on the glass with all his might.

Teyla finally noticed the noise and looked up. Adair quickly pointed to an air vent in the far corner of the room. She frowned, looking in direction he indicated, then nodded and helped Zelenka over to it. They both held their faces as near as they could, trying to get as much fresh air as possible in the contaminated room.

Adair holstered his pistol and hit the intercom switch on the wall. "Harris why the hell haven't you got that coolant shut off?"

"_Sir, I can't reroute it,"_ came the desperate reply.

"Then shut it off completely."

"If I do that, several vital systems could overheat causing…" 

"I don't give a damn what it _could_ cause, we've got people dying down here, shut it off!" yelled Adair, his face pressed against the glass of the window, watching as Teyla and Zelenka struggled desperately for each breath.

oOo

Rodney followed closely behind Sheppard, his eyes darting to each person they passed, nervously judging whether the individual might be one of the saboteurs. When they stepped into the engineering bay without incident, he allowed himself to relax minutely. Sheppard, he noticed though, remained ever vigilant with his side arm gripped securely in the palm of his right hand and a lifesigns detector in his left to warn him of any hidden personnel.

The room was filled with several individuals from just as many departments working diligently at repairs.

"Maybe they aren't here," Rodney said under his breath, watching one individual struggle with attaching a cable through the back of a panel to reconnect the thruster controls. When the man fumbled twice, the scientist couldn't help himself and stepped over, effectively pushing the tech out of the way. "Let me," he demanded, ignoring the man's irritated glance in his direction.

Sheppard only shrugged when the displaced man glanced up at him. "He gets crabby when his toys are broken," he said lightly as if to explain.

Rodney cast him one of his patented scowls before slipping beneath the console. "If you two aren't too busy, perhaps one of you could try passing that cable again," his muffled voice said irritably.

The tech stood a moment and glanced from the cable to the scientist's legs sticking out from beneath the console. His face unreadable, he walked behind the unit and slid the desired object back through the opening with his right hand while leaning against the top of the board with his left. His index finger brushed over an unobtrusive relay switch before he backed away.

"Oh, would you look at this," the scientist complained, his feet pushing him further beneath the console. "Who trained these people? Is that connected…?" he grunted to himself. "And what the hell is…?" Rodney froze, staring at a small grey wire connected to an unfamiliar device. Reaching cautiously, he traced it back with a finger to where it attached to the control conduit to the drive engines. "Oh, shit," he whispered, his other hand scrabbling at his side, searching for the wire cutters he thought he'd seen lying on the floor earlier.

When McKay's grumbling suddenly grew quiet, Sheppard glanced down to see the scientist's empty hand reaching about. Crouching, he peered under the panel. "Drop something?"

"Clear the room!" Rodney hissed, his attention entirely focused on what he was doing.

Sheppard didn't need to be told twice. Standing back up, he whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. "Drop what you are doing and leave now," he instructed. Engineers, techs, and scientists all looked confused but did as they were told.

With the room empty, he dropped back down to the floor. "McKay, what's going on?"

"There's another relay device similar to the one Hermiod and I found yesterday, only this one is a little more…"

"Little more what?" Sheppard demanded through clenched teeth.

"Wire cutters," Rodney ordered. He snatched them when they were placed in his hand and then disappeared back underneath the console.

"Rodney, a little more what…?"

The scientist remained silent; the sound of wires being cut was the only noise in the room. After several tense moments, his hand reemerged from beneath the unit holding a small block of C4. "Perhaps, you might know what to do with this," he said quietly.

Sheppard carefully grabbed the explosive and pulled the firing pin, depositing it in one of his pockets before wrapping the plastique in a page ripped from someone's manual lying nearby. Licking his lips, he leaned back down, "Is there anymore?"

"I'm checking." The clipped response from the usually verbose scientist depicted the seriousness of the situation. Another long minute passed before he slid out from beneath the panel.

Taking in McKay's shaking hands and pale face, Sheppard gripped the scientist's arm and helped him to his feet. "Well?"

Rodney shook his head. "That was all I saw."

"You okay?"

"Sorry," he snapped with less than his usual brusque attitude, "it's my first time defusing a bomb."

"Hey, take it easy. I was just asking if there was more."

Rodney swallowed and leaned against the console, his eyes skimming over the controls. "It wasn't attached to the relay I found." He glanced at Sheppard and frowned, as then turned to look down again, reaching out to touch the unfamiliar switch. "That's new."

Sheppard watched McKay. "What is it?"

"I think," he started, ducking beneath the system again, and then coming back out holding the small remote relay to the bomb, "they know what we've found."

"Damn it! We're a step behind every time!" After pacing the room for a few moments, Sheppard stopped and faced Rodney. "If they'd had the chance to blow that console, what would have happened?"

"There wouldn't be secondary systems to fly the Daedalus like Adair had done during the emergency landing."

"Forcing, or maybe giving only one group access to the ship..."

"…from the bridge," they said simultaneously.

"We have to get up there," the dark haired colonel snapped. "Adair and his group are on their way, possibly walking straight into an ambush."

oOo

The pair ran through the bustling corridors, working their way around various repair crews, and finding themselves forced to take a back way when they found one of the main corridors sealed for repairs.

Sheppard knew they didn't have the time to spare. Catching hold of a med tech that was running by carrying portable oxygen tanks, he got the man to stop. "What's going on?"

"There's a coolant leak and two people are trapped. Captain Adair is trying to free them!"

Rodney took off running again behind Sheppard. When they got to the packed corridor, they could see the Texan trying to pry the doors open with a large piece of rebar while another person was busy rewiring the controls.

"Stand back!" Sheppard's voice thundered, causing the individuals filling the hall to clear a path. Making his way to the door, he peered inside and saw Teyla collapsed sideways against the wall with Zelenka held upright in her arms. "How long have they been in there?" he demanded while taking the block of C4 from one of his pockets.

"Couple minutes," Adair replied, watching Sheppard attach the explosive to the door while McKay rigged a small timing device to a firing pin the colonel had handed him. Several of the Daedalus exchanged incredulous glances at the sight of the C4. Adair quickly waved them toward safety.

"Cover!" the colonel directed as he and McKay took the few steps necessary to round the corner. Seconds later, a loud explosion and smoke filled the corridor, followed by the coolant which had begun escaping through the now demolished doorway. Pulling their shirts up over their noses, the three men raced into the small room. Sheppard picked up Teyla while Rodney and Adair lifted Radek between them.

Back in the hallway, the Daedalus's CMO instantly appeared, putting oxygen masks on the unconscious individuals while technicians in hazmat suits scurried to repair the leak.

Sheppard grabbed Adair by the shirt and rammed the captain against the wall. "What the hell happened?" he demanded. "You were supposed to be watching their backs!"

Before the Texan had a chance to answer, Rodney stepped between the pair, facing the colonel. "Blame somebody later. Right now, we have to stop the Daedalus from being taken. Ship. Boom. Bye-Bye. Ring a bell?" he growled, shoving Sheppard away from Adair.

Adair's expression grew confused. "Who's taking her and where did that explosive come from?"

"We don't have time to explain," Rodney snapped, picking up Zelenka's abandoned life sign detector as the medical team wheeled away their two patients.

That was all that was needed to snap Sheppard back into action. Grabbing a member of the security detail who was standing in the hallway, he relieved the sergeant of his sidearm and P-90. Passing his own gun to McKay, Sheppard then slipped the spare in his thigh holster while gripping the other to his chest. He nodded to the captain, seeing the man was already armed, "Put out a call to empty the ship of all personnel."

Once the message was relayed over the comm. system, his eyes narrowed, "I'm tired of this game of cat and mouse. What do you say we go get these bastards?"


	7. Chapter 7

It was eerily quiet on board with all the personnel evacuated to Atlantis. Making their way to the bridge, Sheppard took point with McKay in the middle. Finally coming to a halt outside the newly installed doors of the main operations center, he looked to Rodney. "How many inside?" he whispered.

The scientist stared down at the life sign indicator he was holding. It revealed a group of three blips representing his team, along with three more blips in the area before them. Tilting the device, he showed Sheppard and then Adair. Thank goodness the Daedalus wasn't rigged with ancient technology yet so it was unlikely the others were aware of their presence. When the blips on the screen started moving in their direction, the team pulled back into a nearby hallway.

The new titanium doors slid smoothly open but no one exited the room.

"Colonel Sheppard," a male voice emanated from within, "we'd like for you to join us. Dr. McKay, Captain Adair, you too."

"So much for taking them by surprise," murmured Adair under his breath.

"Colonel, don't make me ask again or our guest might find himself in a certain degree of difficulty."

Sheppard glanced at Rodney who was banging the life sigh indicator against the side of his hand. It still only showed three blips inside the room.

"Who?" he mouthed to the scientist.

Rodney's blue eyes suddenly met his and he snapped his fingers. "Hermiod," he whispered. Asgards weren't around when the Ancients built these detectors. The device must not register his presence.

Sheppard and Adair both jerked to look back inside the room. If the saboteurs had the Asgard, there was no telling what kind of knowledge they might try to force from the alien.

"Lift your shirt," Sheppard hissed to McKay.

"What?"

"Your shirt," repeated Sheppard as he freed his pistol from its holster.

The astrophysicist hesitated for only the briefest of seconds before complying. Sheppard tucked his gun into waistband of Rodney's pants, nestling it in the small of his back and then pulling his shirt and jacket over the bulk. "So help me," the scientist snapped under his breath, "if this goes off and shoots me in the …"

"McKay, shut up. They'll automatically check Adair and me, but they might pass on you."

"Oh, that's reassuring."

Sheppard nodded back towards the room. "Think you can give them a little of your irritated scientist routine?"

"Let me get this straight. I'm the one trying to smuggle a gun and you want me to piss them off?" McKay's voice squeaked in disbelief.

Sheppard grinned, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."

"Last call, Colonel." The sound of a round being chambered could be heard in the hallway.

Sheppard glanced over to Adair, "No heroics. The second this starts to look like it's heading south, get McKay out."

"Gotcha."

Turning to the scientist, Sheppard raised a brow gave him one of his best asinine grins that was bound to get a reaction. "Ready?"

Rodney nodded nervously, plucking at the bottom hem of his shirt, but remained uncharacteristically quiet.

_Crap_. "Okay, here we go." Stepping into the open doorway, Sheppard held his hands up in the air. "Don't shoot," he said calmly.

As soon as he passed through the entrance, a waiting figure shoved him painfully against the wall and frisked him, removing the P-90 and sidearm. "Hey, watch the hands there would ya?" he said, realizing it was a woman patting down his inseam.

"Shut up," she hissed, roughly jabbing the cold barrel of her gun into the back of his neck.

"Dr. McKay, if you would be so kind to join us," the voice called out to the remaining members in the hallway.

Having just witnessed the rough reception Sheppard had received, the scientist was rapidly having second thoughts about carrying the concealed weapon.

"You'll do fine, Doc," Adair drawled quietly from behind him. "I'll come in with you so they'll go for me first. Just stay in front of me."

Rodney swallowed and took a deep breath. Holding his hands up, he stepped forward with fake confidence and walked straight onto the bridge with Adair following close behind. The Captain had been correct. No sooner had they breached the doorway, then a figure stepped from behind them and pushed Adair against the wall, leaving McKay standing alone. Looking around the large open room with his best deer in the headlights expression, his gaze came to rest on the man seated in the command chair who was holding a gun to Hermiod's head.

"You were down in engineering," he said recognizing the technician from earlier.

The man just stared back, waiting until his team was finished with the officers. Once zip cuffs were snugged tightly on Sheppard and Adair's wrists and they were shoved to their knees, his gaze shifted back to the scientist. "Dr. McKay, I was hoping you would be joining us."

Rodney's arms folded over his chest in an attempt at controlling his rapidly pounding heart. "Why?"

"We are in need of your services to repair the ship." Seeing a look of resistance cross the scientist's face, the man stepped down from the chair and gripped Hermiod by the back of the neck, pushing the fragile alien to its knees. "I can snap his neck with a twist of my wrist, Dr. McKay. Is that something you want to be responsible for?"

The Asgard's dark expressionless eyes looked to meet Rodney's. "Do not feel accountable for my well being, Doctor McKay," it said quietly.

When the scientist didn't move, the leader nodded to the woman standing behind Sheppard. Without so much as a blink, she pointed her gun at the colonel's shoulder and pulled the trigger.

oOo

Sheppard watched the scene play out before him and knew in his gut that the intruders would eventually do something rash to force McKay to cooperate. So when he sensed 'Dr. Smith' move behind him, he tried to prepare himself for what was about to happen.

A searing pain ripped through his upper body and he fell forward to land on his face. With his hands still secured behind him, he tried to curl into a protective ball, while gasping in short breaths to hold the impending darkness at bay. Muffled voices were shouting and he could see feet moving in front of him but nothing made sense. Refusing to let Rodney go through this alone, he struggled to push the pain far enough aside and stay conscious.

"You shot him!" Rodney shouted in disbelief, his eyes glued on the blood stain that was rapidly soaking though the shoulder of Sheppard's shirt. Taking a step forward, he didn't seem to notice the gun moving in his direction.

"McKay," Adair said, trying to catch the scientist's attention and get the man's mind back on track.

The woman with the gun moved and aimed her weapon at the colonel's head, freezing Rodney in his steps.

"I heard you were a doctor!" he spat viciously, and then turned to face the leader still holding Hermiod by the neck. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll fix whatever you want. Just let them go."

A cold smile crossed the man's face as he nodded. "I knew you only needed a little incentive to join us." Looking to the woman he nodded again, "Stand down."

Without question, she stepped back.

Rodney licked his lips, his hands twitching at his sides. "I need to…," he said with a voice more solid than he felt while gesturing across the floor. Not waiting for their approval, he cautiously moved over to Sheppard and stiffly dropped to his knees.

"McKay?" the wounded man groaned.

"Just hold on," he answered, lifting up the neck of Sheppard's shirt in an attempt to see how bad the damage might be. When his friend bit back a stifled groan at being touched, the scientist stopped and glared back at the leader. "He needs medical attention."

"When you finish repairing the bridge controls, we'll see about taking care of the colonel."

"He'll bleed to death before I finish."

Adair cleared his throat and McKay turned to stare at him. "There's an emergency first aid kit on the wall," the captain informed before dryly continuing. "Hopefully they've had a chance to restock it since the last explosion."

Receiving a nod, Smith retrieved the kit and rifled through its contents before passing it to McKay.

He in turn glared at her as he ripped open several packages of pressure bandages. "I thought it was against the Hippocratic Oath to injure another human being."

"Who ever said I took the oath?" Her emotionless reply sent chills down his spine.

Sheppard groaned again and tried to move away when Rodney packed the entry wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Sorry," the scientist whispered. "You know me and blood. Never understood how anyone would willingly decide on a career that surrounded themselves in the stuff." Finished with bandaging Sheppard's shoulder, he looked over to the leader. "Can I free his hands so I can roll him over? I need to check for an exit wound."

The man yawned, his lazy façade clearly an act. With a glance to Smith, he sat back down and watched her release the captive's wrists allowing McKay to continue his ministrations.

Rodney had been right in his assumption, and there was an ugly exit wound. With his hands shaking, he finished bandaging the front of the shoulder the best he could, but blood continued to color the white gauze.

Sheppard watched him through half lidded eyes. "Doin' good," he slurred. Seeing the scientist frown, he tried to smile. "Don't worry, I've had worse."

Rodney stared at him, his face becoming unreadable as fierce determination set in. "Hold on a little longer and then you'll be a guest of Carson's, begging for a reprieve in no time."

"Don't…don't do anything stupid," his friend warned, biting back a groan before closing his eyes.

"When have I ever done anything stupid?"

The indignation in the scientist's voice made a brief smile flicker over the officer's face, but it slipped when he finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

The room grew deathly quiet while Rodney covered Sheppard with an emergency blanket and then sat back on his heels. Wiping his blood-covered hands on his pants; he stood up and faced the leader, "Where do you want me to start?"

For the next hour he scurried between panels, convincing the intruders to allow Hermiod to assist him. When they began repairs on the wiring of the main components to naquadah generator, he stopped and pulled himself out from beneath the panel where he'd been working. Looking exhausted and disheveled, he leaned heavily against a control board. "I need Captain Adair's help."

The trio had gathered in the rear of the room and were in the middle of having a quiet but heated discussion, accompanied with much hand waving and finger stabbing. Interrupted by McKay's request, the leader scowled and glanced to the silent captain now seated on the floor next to Sheppard.

"I think you're fine, doctor. Get back to work."

"Think again," the tired man snapped. "Do you honestly believe two people can rebuild this? It took teams of specialists years to put this ship together. We," he pointed to Hermiod and himself, "have got the main systems back online, restabilized the thrusters, and have life support back to ninety-five percent. We cannot reactivate the naquadah drive with just two people."

Adair's gaze continued to watch the scientist closely. He'd noticed the way the man was beginning to stumble and occasionally drop the tool he'd been using. When he glanced to the Asgard, the small grey alien also appeared to be focusing intently on McKay. Whatever the scientist was up to, it had better happen soon. And he had a feeling the good doctor was about to go all in with the cards he had.

The leader studied his hostages closely. He'd watched as the bridge systems and panels came back online one at a time. Deciding that the scientist was being truthful, he turned to the man that had been guarding the Texan. "Cut him loose. He tries anything, make sure he doesn't last long enough to need any of the doctor's fine repair work."

Rising slowly on stiff legs that had been sitting too long on the hard floor, Adair flexed his freed hands, restoring circulation to his fingers as he made his way over to McKay and Hermiod. "Tell me what to do."

"Wait!" the woman ordered, turning to face the leader. "This is a mistake. How do we know they won't sabotage the ship?"

The leader's expression turned as cold as ice. "I'm in charge and made the decision. Are you questioning me?"

She rubbed her face on her shoulder and then glanced back at the waiting group. "I don't trust them."

"Then do your job and keep an eye on them," he growled. When she turned to walk away, he raised his weapon. "Smith."

She stopped but didn't turn around.

"Question my orders again and we won't be having any more discussions--ever. Understood?"

Adair could almost feel the tension rise in the room. The woman was definitely dangerous and they would have to be careful. When she shrugged and continued across the room, he stepped closer to McKay. "You alright?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine." He paused to look over at Sheppard's still form and then took a deep breath. "Let's get to work."

"Okay then, where do you want me?"

"I need you and Hermiod to bring the ship's main computer online while I calibrate the engines." Licking his lips, he faced the lead captor, "I need you to deactivate the shields…" Holding up his hand, he stopped the man before he could protest, "Let me finish. I need you to deactivate the shields for two seconds maximum. Powering up the ship with the shields activated causes a drain to the drive that can be overridden, but it takes a second or two."

Adair knew the scientist was bluffing. Taking his seat at the main console, he turned and smiled reassuringly, "Just like starting Daddy's old John Deere. You need to slip the choke to get the engine to kick."

Rodney swallowed the tight feeling in his gut. With his fingers flying over his keyboard, he nodded to himself and then directed the others. "On my mark. Three. Two. One!"

A bright light filled the bridge as the Asgard beaming technology snatched Sheppard, Adair, and Hermiod away.

The three saboteurs spun around on the near empty bridge, spying only McKay left standing at his terminal. With guns raised, they fired simultaneously as he hit one last key before dropping to the floor.

A tremendous burst of light lit up the bridge as a powerful explosion rocked the Daedalus-- then there was only silence.

oOo

Adair propped Sheppard on his feet as both men watched the Asgard work the controls on the nearby console of the Daedalus's engineering room. A moment later, the familiar flash of light appeared on the opposite side of the room and Rodney's crumpled figure materialized, lying still on the floor. Smoke drifted lazily off his clothing and the acrid smell of burned clothing and melted plastic wafted through the air.

Before anyone had the chance to reach him, Rodney slowly rolled over and grunted, shifted a second with his hand to his back, and then clumsily tossed the gun away. "See," he slurred when Adair dropped to his knees beside him, "I didn't shoot myself in the ass." And then he passed out.

It was a miracle Sheppard actually made it as he staggered over to the scientist's other side. Worriedly looking for signs of blood or injury and not finding any, he was barely able to stay on his own two feet and swayed precariously close to tipping over.

"Hermiod?" Adair started to say.

"Activating now, Captain." Seconds later the Asgard was alone in the room, the humans having been sent to the Atlantis infirmary.

oOo 

The sound of someone's painful repeated coughing penetrated Beckett's healing sleep. The other noises in the infirmary he had subconsciously ignored, but something about the deep wracking aspect of this cough filtered through his blissful slumber and demanded his attention. With his instincts kicked into gear, his eyes snapped opened, searching for the source of the sound. Tracing it to the corner of the infirmary, he saw several of his staff members working diligently around a pair of unfamiliar gurneys. The rough bark continued and he couldn't help but be drawn to it. As he slid cautiously out of bed, he paused as the world tilted and then steadied and waited for the shifting icy floor beneath his bare feet to solidify. When he was sure he wasn't going to embarrass himself by falling flat on his face, he made his way cautiously to the knot of people.

"What's going on?" he asked one of the nurses at the back of the group.

She turned and frowned, giving his white scrubs a significant glance, clearly questioning the advisability of his having risen from bed--though she wisely resisted verbalizing it. Sighing in resignation instead, she stepped back, revealing both Teyla and Radek, oxygen masks being held over their flushed faces as they each drew in ragged breaths.

"What happened?" he demanded as he immediately assumed command of the situation and shouldered his way through the rest of the medical personnel. They automatically stepped aside.

"Coolant leak," said Henderson, the Daedalus physician. He listened to Zelenka's chest a moment longer, then removed stethoscope from his ears, slinging it around his neck and wincing as it brushed the stitches on his neck. Henderson had only recently been released from the infirmary himself after undergoing treatment for the injuries he received while on board the Daedalus. "They both got a pretty hefty dose, I'm afraid."

Beckett leaned down and adjusted the nearest gurney so that Teyla sat a little more upright. She cracked open her reddened eyes at the movement and a look of recognition crossed her face when she saw who was assisting her. Trying to speak brought on another coughing fit though. Carson gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze with his left hand as he waved his right in a 'gimme' motion at the medic who obediently handed over his stethoscope to the physician. He was about to give the Athosian a cursory exam when Henderson suddenly ordered for Radek to be rolled onto his side.

The Czech scientist began to heave pitifully as his body tried unsuccessfully to rid itself of the vile chemicals he'd breathed in during his brief exposure to the coolant. The dry hacking cough from earlier was now mixed with gasps and choking noises as his stomach rebelled and what little he'd had for breakfast ended up on the infirmary floor.

Henderson gripped Zelenka's shoulders and held the shaking man until the spasms stopped, leaving the scientist red-faced and gasping. Carefully easing him back on the gurney, he scowled as he took in Radek's flushed complexion and continued raspy breathing. "Carson…" he began worriedly when it became clear Zelenka's breathing was only getting more labored.

"Go ahead," agreed Beckett. Leaving Teyla for the moment, he moved over to take position at the head of Radek's gurney, lowering it into a flat position. The scientist began to panic as each breath became harder and harder. "Easy Radek," Carson soothed, gently holding down the struggling man's shoulders. "We're going to sedate you and put a tube in your throat to help you breath until the swelling goes down." On that cue, a nurse injected the scientist with the sedative and Zelenka's struggles weakened, then ceased entirely. His eyes closed and the pained lines of his face smoothed out, though his body still struggled to take in oxygen.

Henderson started to hand him the scope but Carson shook his head, motioning the young man to take his position. "I'll watch," he said, knowing his own hands were shaking too much to risk doing the procedure himself. He knew medics on board the Daedalus were well qualified, having worked with them himself on their return trip from Earth. This one didn't let him down, quickly and efficiently intubating the scientist despite his swollen throat. Beckett listened to Radek's chest a moment, then gave Henderson a nod of confirmation indicating the scientist was now able to breathe satisfactorily.

Turning his attention back to his other patient, Beckett was relieved to see Teyla did not seem to be having the same intense reaction as Radek though he was still concerned by her amount of exposure. After discussing various treatment options with the Daedalus physician, he allowed the two to be wheeled out of his sight and back toward the intensive care area where they would be closely monitored. Henderson followed the gurney, calling for scrubs and a basin of water so that the chemical contaminant could be sponged off their patients as quickly as possible.

Allowing himself a weary moment to lean back against an empty bed, Beckett reviewed the mess left in the wake of the latest incident. When a hand gently gripped his arm, he opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them, to find a nurse at his side.

"Doctor, you need to get back in bed."

He glanced worriedly toward direction of the intensive care section then around the rest of the infirmary.

"I've already called Dr. Kelley," she said as she began to steer him across the room to his vacated spot from earlier.

As he sat on the edge of the bed and willed his hands to stop shaking, she assisted in helping him exchange his now soiled scrub top for a clean one. He let her, stubbornly accepting the fact that he had already overspent what little energy he had possessed, forcibly brought home by the pounding of his head. It didn't stop him from hating having to just sit on the sidelines while everyone else worked around him, though. Between Kelley--his trusted second in command, Henderson, and the rest of his staff, he knew his overburdened infirmary would be in good hands until he had recovered some of his strength. In fact, Kelley was even now walking into the infirmary, looking amazingly fresh after his short a nap and fairly bursting with youthful vigor. Beckett allowed himself the luxury of detesting the man for a full two minutes. His nurse had already left to intercept the young doctor with an armful of charts and an earful of news about their latest arrivals. She also glanced pointedly in Carson's direction.

After thanking her, Kelley approached him determinedly.

Carson braced himself for a lecture but the younger man merely slid the pile of charts haphazardly onto the mattress and took a seat beside him on the bed, flipping through the charts he had piled between them. "Busy afternoon," he remarked casually.

"Aye," agreed Beckett, letting his guard down a bit.

Reviewing the charts thoroughly, Kelley asked him a few questions about Radek and Teyla's treatment. Beckett answered as fully as he could, deferring to Henderson's expertise regarding treatment when it came to the chemical component of the coolant.

The young doctor made a few notes in the files while eyeing his boss surreptitiously, not missing the exhaustion or the pained creases around his eyes. "Pushing yourself will only delay your recovery and create more work for your staff," he said, balancing the completed charts on his lap.

"I know, I know," agreed Beckett, waving him off. He held no illusions that he would be of any help in his current condition.

As the younger doctor started making rounds, Beckett leaned back against the raised head of his bed and swung his legs up with a tired groan. It _did_ feel good to just be able to lay there with his feet up. His infirmary was in good hands, he told himself firmly as he closed his eyes. Besides, what else could go wrong?

As if on cue, a brilliant flash of light brightened the infirmary and Beckett sat bolt upright in surprise. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed as three men suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, the smells of ozone and blood instantly filling the air.


	8. Chapter 8

Rodney lay in a heap on the floor with his eyes closed. Within a few seconds, Sheppard joined him, dropping like a sack of potatoes and successfully bringing down Adair with him. The Texan managed to control the fall somewhat, just barely able to keep the officer from landing on McKay, though it didn't stop Sheppard from gasping as his wounded shoulder was jarred painfully.

Leaping into action, Kelley grabbed Sheppard and eased him back into a prone position. Taking in the large crimson stain covering both the front and back of Sheppard's shirt as well as the unmistakable holes, he called for fresh 4x4 gauze pads.

The semi-conscious colonel groaned and tried to push the doctor away as Kelley applied pressure to the wound. "Hurts."

"Alright, I know it does," Kelly said, trying to sooth the distressed man. "What happened?" he asked the captain.

Adair caught hold of Sheppard's wrist and held his arm out of the way while the doctor stripped off the blood soaked pads and replaced them with a fresh dressing the nurse handed him. "One of the saboteurs shot him, almost point blank."

As Kelley resumed the pressure in an attempt to slow the bleeding, Sheppard moaned again and swore, struggling weakly against Adair's grip on his arm, reaching instinctively toward his injured shoulder. A nurse knelt down and put an oxygen mask on his face, sliding the elastic band around his head to hold it in place. He stopped fighting then, and lay back gasping.

Knowing Sheppard was in the best hands possible, Beckett had slid off his bed to take up a position on the floor beside Rodney, his fingers pressed against the unconscious man's carotid artery. Relieved to find a pulse thrumming against his fingertips, he quickly checked the scientist from head to toe for any telltale bleeding. There were slight wisps of smoke still emanating from some of the tattered remains of his clothing. Catching the captain's glance in his direction, he nodded toward his charge, "Rodney wasn't shot?"

"No." Adair shook his head and then frowned, "At least I don't think so. He beamed us to safety then blew the hell outta the bad guys."

"And himself by the looks of it." Beckett briefly examined the scientist, relieved to see that the majority of the burns looked superficial. He glanced Sheppard who peered back at him blearily.

"He gonna to be okay, Doc?" Sheppard slurred right before his eyes rolled back and his arm went limp in Adair's hand.

Carson nodded his head. "He'll be fine, Colonel," he said quietly as he watched two orderlies appear at Kelley's wave and lift the man carefully onto a gurney. They whisked him into a treatment room, followed closely by the doctor issuing orders to the nurse for blood and various IV medications on the fly.

Once Sheppard was out of sight, Beckett returned his attention to the scientist. "Rodney?" he encouraged, giving the man a light tap on the face, but received no response.

"He was talking a bit right after," volunteered Adair.

"Alright, let's get him onto a bed," said Beckett. Nodding at the Captain to take the scientist's feet, he leaned down to get Rodney's shoulders but had to stop and to lean against the bed when he was hit by a wave of dizziness.

"You okay? Should you be tending to folks?" the Texan asked warily, glancing around the infirmary to see if there was anyone else available who could assist them.

Beckett firmly swallowed down his nausea. "I'm fine, just a little aftereffect of the poison."

Adair studied the pale face a moment. "Begging your pardon, Doc, but you look like death munchin' on a soda cracker to me."

"It's just a little queasiness…"

"And dizziness and a headache by the looks of your face," said the nurse, taking the doctor by the arm and steering him out of the way so that one of Sheppard's returning orderlies could help Adair. As they lifted Rodney onto a bed, the nurse continued to pull Beckett towards a nearby chair. "Just sit down for _one minute_, will you?" she asked in exasperation when he continued to resist her efforts. He grunted and allowed her to push him into the chair. "You know he's not in any immediate danger, so let us get his clothes off and treat the burns, then you can have your go at him."

She picked up a pair of scissors and walked back over to Rodney and Adair. Nodding a dismissal to the orderly, she caught the captain's eye and tipped her head in Beckett's direction, lowering her voice. "Don't worry, we're keeping an eye on him, too. He's okay so long as he doesn't overexert himself. Now out," she said firmly, drawing the curtains around Rodney's bed before beginning to cut off the charred clothing.

Adair quickly vacated the cubicle and took up residence by Beckett's side. He tucked his hands in his pockets, feeling awkward now that there was nothing for him to do. "When it rains, it pours, huh, Doc?"

"You're not hurt, too, are you?" the doctor asked tiredly, eyeing the captain for any signs of injury.

Adair looked down, apparently realizing for the first time his shirt was covered in Sheppard's blood. "No. Not yet," he amended. "Leastways, not until the commander finds out we blew another hole in his ship…then I may have a few extra holes in me."

Beckett chuckled briefly before his face took on a more serious expression. "We don't have to worry about another attack, do we?"

"Nah, like I said, Dr. McKay there blew 'em all to kingdom come. You'll have to scrape up what's left of them with a stick and a spoon. And good riddance!" he added vehemently.

Beckett nodded wearily in agreement.

Half an hour later, Rodney moaned and began to stir.

From his position on a stool beside the bed, Beckett gave the man's arm a reassuring squeeze, "Rodney? You with us?"

The scientist's eyes blinked open and squinted past his headache, looking around confused at first, then suddenly becoming alert. "Where's Sheppard?"

"In surgery. Dr. Kelley is doing some repair work on that shoulder. Last update said he was stable and there's a good chance there won't be any permanent damage."

Rodney nodded at the news. Suddenly frowning uncertainly, he lifted his sheet and peeked beneath it. His face turned bright red and he quickly tucked it back into place. "Where are my clothes?"

"There's no smoking allowed in my infirmary," chided Beckett with a tired smile.

"What?" blinked the still somewhat dazed scientist.

"Your clothes were still smoldering."

"Oh. Well, could I at least have some scrubs or _something_? It's a little drafty," he pleaded, giving a sidelong glance of embarrassment at a nurse as she passed by.

Suppressing another smile, Beckett caught her eye and gave her a nod.

She disappeared toward the supply room, returning a few minutes later with a pair of red scrubs and dropping them lightly on the scientist's chest with a wicked grin at his obvious discomfort. McKay was a notoriously bad patient and while she was a consummate professional, she was also human enough to enjoy his embarrassment at being nude in a ward full of people--half of them female at that. "I've seen it all before," she said, just loudly enough for his ears and gave him a wink. She had the pleasure of seeing him turn at least three shades darker crimson before she vacated the area.

Rodney made a grab for the curtain, missing it by a good six inches. Beckett reached over, pulling the screen around the bed and helped steady the scientist as he slid to the floor to slip into the scrubs.

"Teyla and Radek?" asked Rodney, trying to untangle himself from the IV line he didn't remember getting, while letting Beckett help him back into bed. He settled against the pillows with a relieved sigh that wasn't entirely due to aching muscles.

"Teyla's doing fine, though it will take a few weeks for her lungs to completely recover."

Rodney cocked his head at him. "Radek," he asked, concerned that Beckett hadn't put him in the same category as Teyla.

The doctor sighed and wearily sat down again on the stool, "He seems to be out of danger."

"Seems to be?"

"The coolant caused inflammation of his epiglottis, limiting his ability to breathe or swallow. We're keeping a close eye on him but he's stable for the time being."

McKay absorbed the information for a minute. "Adair?"

Beckett snorted in amusement. "Not a scratch on him. He's sitting with Colonel Caldwell at the moment. He did want to see you when you woke up though. If you feel up to it?"

"Yeah, sure." Rodney stopped examining his creamed-smeared arms and scooted up a little higher on the pillows.

"Alright, I'll get him." Standing stiffly, he stifled a groan and hobbled to the edge of the fabric enclosed cubical.

"Hey um, how are _you_ doing?" the scientist asked as he suddenly remembered the doctor's condition the last time they had been together.

Beckett paused, hand on the curtain's edge. "I'm quarrelsome and too contentious for my own good, or so my staff informs me." He gave Rodney a brief, weary smile before sliding the curtain out of the way and walking over to hold a brief conversation with Adair.

Once concluded, Beckett walked slowly toward his office and disappeared through the door only to reappear a few seconds later escorted by a petite, dark-haired, scolding nurse. Rodney could hear her berating her boss as they passed, insisting that he return to his quarters and get some rest. Beckett opened his mouth to argue several times but the nurse never paused for breath. Once they reached the infirmary door, she finally stopped talking and stood looking up at him, her head cocked and hands on her hips. Her eyes dared him to make a comment. Barely as tall as his chest, her fierce demeanor more than made up for any lack in height.

He opened his mouth once more, but she cut him off before he could even get started. "I already told you we'd send for you if anyone's condition takes a turn for the worse." She pointed to the door. "Now out." Beaten, he gathered his shredded dignity about him and shuffled out the infirmary door, finally headed for his own bed.

In the meantime, the Texan had arrived at Rodney's bedside and was chuckling at the scene until the nurse suddenly turned and pinned them both with an intense glare. The smile instantly melted off Rodney's face and he pulled the blanket a little higher on his chest as if it would afford some sort of protective shield against her ire as she approached. Adair's grin only grew wider as she glared up at him.

"Something amusing, Captain?"

Adair cleared his throat and made a sorry attempt to wipe the grin off his face. "No, ma'am"

"Are you injured?" her tone was deceptively concerned. Rodney was almost tempted to warn the man, but not at the risk of his own neck.

"No, ma'am."

"And I suppose you want to wait here until Colonel Sheppard is out of surgery?"

"Yes, 'em."

"Then I suggest you sit down, be quiet, and stay out of trouble, or you'll be the next one out that door," she said, pointing in the direction their wayward chief surgeon had gone.

"Yes, ma'am," agreed Adair, dropping into the chair without so much as a backward glance as to its location.

She thrust a piece of fabric at him and then gave them both a calculating squint of her eyes before heading back towards Beckett's office.

Adair watched her disappear through the door with a smitten look on his face before looking at the item she had handed him. He grinned and stripped off his blood stained shirt, exchanging it for the clean scrub top before turning his attention back to Rodney. "I didn't give you enough credit, Doc," he said. "You're made out of stronger stuff than I thought."

"That means so much to me coming from a man who clearly got his education from watching far too many episodes of Hee-Haw!"

The scientist's tone was caustic but Adair now knew better than to take Rodney's comments at face value, so his grin only grew larger at the acidic response as he clasped his hands behind his head and leaned the chair back against the wall. "Yes sir, that show did have a few good things for a young boy to admire while growing up." He cocked his eyes sideways towards the scientist. "And I'm not talking about the singing."

Rodney rolled his eyes in disgust.

oOo

The next day, Teyla was moved into the general ward, though she was still being given breathing treatments every few hours. The Athosian bore the whole thing with her usual stoic attitude.

While Rodney wasn't exactly glad the woman had been injured, it was nice to know she wasn't bullet-proof--so to speak. In the past, her agility and fighting skills had often left her without so much as a scratch and free as a bird while the rest of them were forced to undergo various voodoo treatments under Carson's watchful eye in the infirmary.

Beckett showed up around noon, clean shaven and looking much better than he had the day before. He sent an exhausted Kelley and several of the other medical staff to their own beds -- the diminutive martialette included, Rodney was happy to note.

Though Sheppard remained in ICU, Beckett assured them all that he was doing well, and barring any complications, would be moved to the general ward within the next day or two. Elizabeth's cheerful attitude when she visited all of them reinforced that belief.

Caldwell awoke late that afternoon, testily demanding to see his second in command. Beckett allowed Adair a short visit, taking the captain aside beforehand and forbidding him from mentioning anything more than that the saboteurs had been ferreted out and there was no longer any danger of further attacks on the ship or its personnel.

The doctor hovered nearby and intervened when Caldwell began to press his officer too hard for more details, sending Adair out of the infirmary despite the colonel's protests. Beckett easily won the argument that ensued, which only served to prove that Caldwell was still much weaker than he wanted to admit.

oOo

Sheppard and Zelenka were moved into the main ward two days later. The latter remained on oxygen, and though the intubation tube had been removed, his throat was still too sore to speak more than a few whispered words. Rodney and Teyla had been released the previous day. The Athosian was given strict instructions to return to the infirmary regularly for her breathing treatments and was prohibited in participating in any activity that would place too great a strain on her healing lungs. When Rodney had begun nagging the doctor mercilessly for his laptop, he was told to just_ go _before Beckett did something he would regret.

When Rodney found out Radek had been moved out of the ICU, he returned with an extra laptop to go over some of the data, still trying to pinpoint the exact times and dates when the sabotage occurred..

"Three, then" the Czech whispered painfully as he compared the data on his laptop with McKay's.

"Rodney," snapped a voice behind him, the 'r' burred slightly. "You pestered me until I released you and now you're right back here, disturbing my patients." Beckett pulled the device out of Zelenka's slightly resisting hands and handed it to Rodney who had to juggle his own computer to keep from dropping it.

"I'm not disturbing anyone," the scientist huffed, balancing act achieved. "Radek, am I disturbing you?"

"Don't answer that." Beckett quickly held up a hand to forestall any reply from the Czech. "He shouldn't be talking at all," he told Rodney, his voice tightly clipped.

"You said he was fine," replied the scientist, apparently oblivious to Radek's pale, drawn face.

Beckett narrowed his eyes in displeasure. "I said he would _be_ fine."

"Look, this is important stuff we're discussing here…"

"Marian," called Beckett, loudly.

Rodney caught sight of a small black-haired head as it poked up from among the medical personnel and looked around. "Um, on second thought, we can take this up later, when you're feeling better," he said hastily, making for the door.

Zelenka sighed in relief and leaned back against his pillow. "Díky," he rasped.

"I said 'no talking'," admonished the Doctor sharply, but then gave him a kindly pat on the shoulder and a small smile. "But you're welcome."

oOo

Sheppard found himself confined and bored in Beckett's lair. If it hadn't been for Rodney's impromptu visits that miraculously coincided with when Carson went on break, or Dex bearing coffee for his team leader, while totally ignoring the hostile glares sent his way from the medical personnel; the dark-haired man would have attempted to jump ship a long time ago. Now dressed in his own grey sweats and t-shirt courtesy of McKay, he swung his feet over the side of his bed, adjusted his sling so that it didn't pinch the back of his neck, and took in the latest in today's Caldwell/Adair entertainment.

"Let me get this right, Captain." Caldwell's tight glare pierced his second in command, his anger barely in check. "You blew up my ship… AGAIN?"

Sheppard cringed from his vantage point in the opposite corner of the infirmary as the Daedalus's commander proceeded to rip Adair a new one. About this time, Weir and Rodney entered the infirmary. Taking one quick glance towards the two men, they held a short discussion, then wisely chose to ignore the scene and proceeded to Sheppard's bedside. He noticed Rodney still looked a little singed around the edges, especially his eyebrows, which Beckett had assured the panicked man would grow back. But overall, the scientist had walked away from the entire ordeal with only a few minor burns courtesy of a certain little Asgard and his amazing machine.

"How are you feeling?" Elizabeth asked, taking in her own second-in-command's pale appearance and sling.

"I feel fine," was his automatic response.

She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. Rodney snorted, "You look like death warmed over."

Shifting his shoulder, he grimaced slightly and then grinned. "Okay, it hurts a little. But doc says if I behave myself I can probably be released in a day or two."

The noise of Caldwell's ranting increased and Weir made a concerted effort not to look in that direction. Rodney had no such compunction. "Wow, poor guy."

"Yeah, poor guy." Sheppard glanced in the captain's direction to see Adair standing at attention and staring straight ahead with no expression on his face. But on closer inspection, he could have sworn that he could see the Texan's eyes twinkling and remembered what the Captain had said earlier when they had first been working to free Caldwell. Knowing the officer could take care of himself, the colonel decided it was time for a little revenge of his own for Rodney's 'death warmed over' crack. He shook his head sadly and released an exaggerated sigh, "Especially since, technically speaking, it was _you_ who blew up the Daedalus this time."

The scientist momentarily froze and then flicked a worried glance at Sheppard. "He, um, hasn't mentioned that, has he?"

"Not yet, but there's still time," he needled, enjoying the look of terror that briefly crossed Rodney's face. The scientist's antipathy towards the military was as well-known as Weir's, but there was something about Caldwell that seemed to actually intimidate the scientist, an unusual occurrence seeing how it was usually Rodney doing the intimidating…well, except maybe in the case of one Colonel Samantha Carter. Sheppard smiled.

"Now I want to know exactly how this latest explosion happened." Caldwell ordered, his anger radiating across the room.

"Uh-oh," Sheppard quipped, grinning at McKay.

The scientist turned a shade paler than his friend. "I, uh, have some things in the lab I need to take care of," he said suddenly but realized there was no way he'd make it across the infirmary in time.

"That's enough of that!" snapped Beckett as he strode through the infirmary towards the Daedalus officers.

"Saved by the Beckett," murmured Sheppard to Rodney. The scientist took a relieved breath and headed towards the door, escaping while he had the opportunity. Weir gave Sheppard a wink and made her way out as well.

"This is an infirmary, not a bloody pub," the doctor continued, rubbing his temples. The poison had left him with a nagging headache, though he was back to normal otherwise. "You!" he said, pointing a finger at Adair, "Out!" He turned his attention to Caldwell not even looking to see if the captain was following his orders. "You, get some rest!" he said more quietly but no less emphatically.

"Doctor…" began Caldwell.

"Not another word," insisted the Scot. "In fact," he looked around the infirmary, taking in the multitudes of visitors for all the injured Daedalus crewmembers and the noise level they were creating, "the whole lot of you can leave right now."

Here was his chance for escape. Slipping off his bed and attempting to blend in with the visitors, Sheppard found himself stopped when a hand dropped on his good arm.

"Not you," growled the familiar brogue from behind him.

He had the good grace to look guilty but it didn't stop him from pouring on the charm.

"You said you wanted everyone to leave," he said innocently.

"Bed. Now," replied the Scot.

* * *

_Hmmm…let's see …whumped Caldwell, Beckett, Teyla, Zelenka, Sheppard, & Rodney. Did we miss anybody? Oh, and we blew a few new holes in the ship as well as a couple of saboteurs to bits for good measure. Yep, that should just about do it. No? Okay, stay tuned then, one more chapter to go._

_Oh, and one more thing, we are writing for two. Don't forget to feed us._


	9. Chapter 9

_Finally,_ thought Adair, _we're making some headway_. It had been almost a week since the saboteurs had blown themselves to pieces--literally. Repair crews now swarmed all over the ship en mass. Atlantis personnel, especially the scientists, were pitching in wherever they were needed--led by the indomitable Dr. Rodney McKay. It wasn't that they were anxious for the ship to be gone, he thought, though he _had_ had that impression in the past. Now it was more a matter of pride to get the ship back to her former glory as soon as possible. Every day the ship was that much closer to being space worthy. Though to hear McKay rant and rave about the inefficiency of everyone around him, you'd think it would be years instead of days before the ship would be ready to return to Earth. The thought of the man and his ubiquitous coffee cup brought a grin to Adair's weatherworn face. McKay was not usually the sort of person he gravitated to--Sheppard, sure; but not a brainy, whiny, scientist-type.

And then there was Teyla. That little lady sure was easy on the eyes. The lithe Athosian was spending several hours every day in the gym doing some sort of intriguing yoga-like exercises to keep her body limber--and boy-howdy was that gal limber--while waiting for her abused lungs to heal enough to resume her stickfighting. Adair had been disappointed that he hadn't been able to watch her at that. From what Sheppard told him, it was something to behold. He briefly wondered if there was any chance Caldwell might renege on his fraternization policy, then snorted in amusement - not likely to happen in _this_ lifetime.

He continued to hum tunelessly. At least they didn't have any more saboteurs to worry about. McKay and Zelenka had made sure of that, tracing back every instance of tampering with a single-minded intensity that ensured all the incidents on board had been linked to the people responsible. Everything they found pointed to only those three individuals working in tandem onboard the ship. A report had been sent back to the SGC detailing everything. Earth had some of their own housecleaning to do since some of the discoveries pointed towards accomplices accessing the ship's computer systems during the Daedalus's last visit home, not to mention various forged documentation that allowed them on board in the first place. Someone was going to have some heavy explaining to do back home and he would dearly love to be a fly on that wall when Caldwell cornered the people he felt were responsible for the security breach.

"Everything okay, sir?" asked Lieutenant Hardy as he entered the small room.

Adair shook off his musings and returned his attention to the job at hand - removing a stubborn control panel door that had been warped by one of the sabotage attempts.

"Maybe you could call Dr. McKay to come help?" the lieutenant suggested.

"What we need here is brawn, not brain," said Adair as he tugged vainly at the damaged panel. "Hand me that piece of rebar by the door, would you, Lieutenant? This panel's being ornery." He waved vaguely toward the entrance behind him before holding out his right hand expectantly while he continued to pull on the panel with his left. When the expected pry bar didn't appear, he turned to see what was causing the delay. Pain exploded through his head and everything went dark.

oOo

"Hey, Adair?" called Sheppard as he entered the room. He was deeply engrossed in a Daedalus manual that he balanced in one hand since his left arm was still in a sling. "Can you make sense of this diagram...?" He trailed off as he looked up from the book, taking in the captain's unconscious body on the floor and what appeared to be a Daedalus officer standing over him, holding a bloody piece of steel rebar. The man instantly dropped the rod and pulled a gun from his waistband, pointing it at Sheppard's chest.

"Oh, you've got to be freaking _kidding _me! How many of you mothers are there?" Sheppard threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, at least as much as he could with one of them still in a sling. "So? What? You want to blow another hole in the ship? Be my guest! What's one more?" he ranted. "Just let me get out of the way first!"

"I'm not interested in damaging the ship. I'm not some damn saboteur."

"No? Then what?" He glanced down at the unmoving body on the floor, relieved to see Adair was still breathing. "You get tired of his singing?" he goaded, sarcastically.

"Call Dr. McKay in here."

The last thing Sheppard wanted was for this man to have another hostage. He changed tactics. "I don't think you want to hurt anyone. After all, you could have killed Adair and you didn't. Look, whatever the problem is, we can work it out." He smiled encouragingly and took a step closer to the armed man, mentally calculating his odds of wresting the gun from him. Hardy narrowed his eyes and re-aimed the gun at the colonel's head. "Or not," Sheppard said, raising his arms again slightly and stepping back to his previous position.

"Call McKay," the man said coldly, cocking the hammer.

Sheppard reached for his radio.

"Wait!" said Hardy suddenly. Pulling off Adair's radio, he put it on so he could listen to both sides of the conversation then nodded for the colonel to continue. "No tricks," he warned, still pointing the gun menacingly.

Sheppard gave a half nod of acquiescence and tapped his earpiece. "Hey, Rodney. I could sure use your help on the maintenance control panel door. Wanna come in here a sec?"

"_I thought Adair was going to fix that?"_ Rodney asked, irritated. The sound of angry Asgard muttering could be clearly heard in the background. _"A one-armed monkey could do that and you want me to drop what I'm doing, which is infinitely more important by the way…"_

Hardy squinted suspiciously and deliberately lowered the gun so that it pointed directly at Adair's head.

Sheppard knew that there was no chance a bullet would miss at that distance. "Yeah, I know, Rodney," he said breaking into the scientist's tirade. "But _I really_ _need your help_ on this," he continued, stressing the words as much as he dared and willing the scientist to get the message.

"_Yes, yes, FINE. I'll be right there_," Rodney huffed impatiently, clicking off his radio before the colonel could say anything more.

Sheppard tried to ignore the knot of worry in his gut and convince himself Rodney had gotten the message. McKay would put two and two together. After all, he was a genius wasn't he?

"Good job," said Hardy, nudging Adair with his foot to make sure the officer was still unconscious. "You might both live through this."

The sound of booted footsteps could soon be heard in the hallway and Sheppard groaned inwardly -- so much for being a genius. He watched as Rodney entered, completely oblivious to what he was walking into as usual. The scientist's head was tipped back and he was shaking his cup so he could down the last few precious drops of coffee. Sheppard doubted he had even noticed there was gun pointed at him yet. "Hi, Rodney. Nice of you to join us," he said, resigned.

McKay slowly lowered the cup and took in the situation with a look of almost comical surprise on his face. For a second he seemed to consider taking a step backward out of the door but Hardy waved his gun, indicating the scientist should come further into the room and stand near Sheppard.

"Why didn't you warn me?" he whispered.

"I _tried_!" Sheppard said through gritted teeth, glaring at him.

"Oh. Sorry."

"I thought you and Zelenka said there were only _three?_"

"There _were_ only three on board. We triple checked!" McKay turned his attention back to the man with the gun. "Hardy, is it?" he asked, peering at the man's uniform patch. "_If_ that's your real name. What's wrong? You upset you didn't get _your_ turn to blow up the ship?"

"I'm not an effing saboteur," Hardy spit at McKay, seething. "Radios," he demanded, snapping his fingers at them when they didn't move fast enough to suit him. Sheppard held his out to him but Hardy eyed him warily and waved the gun toward the console. "Put them over there." He waited until they had followed his instructions. "Now, both of you get over there," he said, waving towards a corner of the room with his gun. Once he had made sure the radios were off, he began to walk back and forth erratically, mumbling to himself. "Just a little she said. They couldn't trace it if you used a little bit at a time. It didn't do any good though. We'd be leaving soon, I wouldn't get another chance so I used all of it. It didn't matter if I got caught. It didn't work though. Why didn't it work?You _promised_ it would work..."

Rodney quickly grew bored of watching the deranged man pace and glanced around the room looking for any means of escape from their current situation. "What happened to the space cowboy?" he asked quietly when his eyes fell on Adair's prone body.

"Hardy, over there, brained him with a pipe." Sheppard leaned in a little more towards the scientist. "That little alien knows where you went, right? If you don't come back soon, maybe he'll figure out something's wrong?" he whispered.

"Well, um…"

"Well what?" Sheppard asked, impatiently.

"We got into an argument, okay?" Rodney whispered back quietly, flicking a glance at their captor who was still arguing with himself about something. "I don't think he's likely to come looking for me any time soon."

"Imagine my surprise," said Sheppard sarcastically. His hopes for rescue momentarily dashed.

Rodney gave him a scowl and looked toward at their captor. A sudden a look of recognition crossed his face. "You!" exclaimed Rodney. "I bumped into you once in the hallway outside my lab…only you were dressed as an ensign then," he said, frowning as he tried to make sense of it all. "Who the hell are you anyway? NID? There's nothing left of your buddies but a greasy spot on the floor." After a moment's thought he added, "…and walls…and ceiling." He shook off the image. "Shooting us isn't going to change that."

"Screw the NID!" Hardy raged. "You think this is about _politics_? You killed my wife, you bastard."

"Your wife?" asked Rodney, truly confused.

"Donna. Donna Dumais."

"Isn't that the scientist who died from those nanobyte things?" Sheppard asked quietly.

"Nanites," corrected McKay automatically under his breath. "Original expedition members weren't married," he said aloud to Hardy. "It was one of the criteria for their selection since we knew the trip might be one-way."

"We were legally separated. She went back to using her maiden name." He paced around the console, agitated. "But she would have come back to me. I know she would have." He raised the gun at McKay again. "If you hadn't killed her."

"Look," said McKay. "What happened…I feel awful about it. But it was an accident."

Rodney's comments fell on deaf ears as Hardy continued to talk to himself, apparently lost in a world of his own. "I _tried_ poisoning your coffee..."

"You tried… You WHAT?" exclaimed Rodney, looking down in horror at the empty cup in his hand.

"…but that didn't work either."

"Look," said Sheppard, trying to get a handle on the situation. "You're upset…" When Hardy spun around to look at him, he raised his hands a little and continued, "…aaand you have every right to be. But what happened was an _accident_. Dr. Dumais knew the expedition might be dangerous but she _chose_ to come. No one forced her to make that decision."

Rodney was still looking down at his cup. "Uh, excuse me," he said, holding up his index finger before looking up at Hardy. "Can we go back to the part where you poisoned my coffee?"

"_He_ put her in danger!" said Hardy, his attention focused totally on his argument with Sheppard now. "If it hadn't been for _him_, she would still be alive!"

"Does it suddenly seem like it's getting darker in here?" Rodney asked no one in particular, while looking around worriedly. "Because it seems darker to me."

"So you'd risk the lives of everyone on board the Daedalus just so you can have your revenge?" asked Sheppard, his voice filled with disgust and loathing.

Rodney squeezed his eyes shut several times in succession. "Do things look blurry to you?" he asked Sheppard.

"I told you, I didn't sabotage anything. I thought I'd have to make a lot more trips to Pegasus before I got my chance. I was willing to wait, for as long as it took. But fate stepped in, twice. First, I got myself posted to an opening on board the Daedalus, then the sabotage that made it possible for me to get on Atlantis almost immediately." Hardy gave a grim smile.

Rodney's voice began to grow slightly panicked as he looked around the room squinting. "Seriously, I'm having trouble focusing, here."

Sheppard glanced at him. "Relax Rodney, I brought you that cup of coffee myself, remember? It came from fresh pot." He turned full attention back to Hardy. "Okay, I see why you're upset with McKay, but why poison Beckett?"

"I didn't."

Sheppard narrowed his eyes in disbelief but Rodney shook himself and snapped his fingers. "He took my stool remember? And we all had coffee that morning. He must have picked up my cup by mistake. It must have been in the left-over bit in my cup that didn't get spilled." He blanched and added in shocked whisper, "Oh my God! _I_ could have died that morning."

Rolling his eyes, the colonel turned his full attention back to Hardy and tried to force the man to see reason. "It was a virus. She got sick. She died. It's sad but it happens."

"HE survived!" Hardy yelled, turning his attention and gun back on Rodney.

"You think I _wanted_ her to die? You think I wanted any of them to die?" the scientist snapped back in frustration.

In stark contrast to the previous outburst, Hardy took a deep, calming breath, then lifted the pistol a little higher and aimed it right between Rodney's eyes. He smiled as he watched the color drain from scientist's face. "It's more satisfying this way, anyway."

"If you kill Rodney, you're going to have to kill me, too," Sheppard warned, hoping the man wasn't as bloodthirsty as he appeared.

"I'm touched," Rodney said quietly, swallowing nervously at the gun. "But maybe you'd be better off with the 'not talking thing' right now."

Hardy shrugged, his cold eyes focused only on revenge. "Whatever it takes." His finger tightened on the trigger and Rodney closed his eyes tightly, steeling himself against the inevitable as Sheppard stood helpless to prevent it.

There was a loud 'zap' and Hardy fell to his knees with an astonished look on his face before keeling over sideways, revealing Hermiod standing behind him, holding a 'zat gun.

"Way to go!" Sheppard exclaimed, looking from the Asgard to the unconscious Hardy and back again.

Rodney opened his eyes a crack, took in the scene, and opened them the rest of the way with a relieved sigh. "I thought the Asgard were pacifists--not that I'm complaining," he quickly added.

"We defend ourselves when it is necessary," replied Hermiod. "General O'Neill has taught us your Earth expression: You can conquer more enemies with a 'zat gun and a kind word, than you can with just a kind word." With that, the little alien turned and left the room.

"Remind me never to piss him off," Sheppard said to Rodney as he picked up his earpiece and called for a security detail to come take charge of their unconscious prisoner. "Or at least not more than I already have." Rodney nodded wide-eyed in reply, still shocked and surprised by the recent turn of events.

Sheppard knelt down, fingers to Adair's neck, and was relieved to find a strong pulse. He stood back up and walked over to Hardy, giving the man a not-so-gentle shove with his foot to make sure he was well and truly out.

Rodney was taking his own pulse, worriedly. "Do you think it was cumulative?"

"Do I think _what_ was cumulative?"

"The poison, of course!" Rodney snapped. "That explains it." His voice took on a melodramatic edge. "The dizzy spells, the tiredness, the irritability."

Sheppard rolled his eyes again, secretly thinking that the last item in Rodney's list had nothing to do with any poison. "You were feeling just fine _before_ you knew about the poison, Rodney. I'm guessing you didn't get a big enough dose for it to do any damage but why don't you go see Beckett and find out?"

"Go see Beckett," Rodney muttered, automatically parroting Sheppard's comment. He looked up suddenly and snapped his fingers. "I should go see Carson." Oblivious to Sheppard's exasperated snort, he drifted out the door and turned left into the corridor. A few seconds later, still muttering to himself, he wandered back past the door--this time headed in the correct direction.

Lorne and his men arrived to take custody of their prisoner until the Daedalus was ready to make the return trip back to Earth just as Adair began to stir. The officer groaned and Sheppard waved the major over to help him lift the woozy captain to his feet.

"I'm ready to go again, load the chute!" Adair said enthusiastically, attempting to shake off their hands. Blood dripped down into his face from where the metal bar had made contact with his head and he continued to sway dangerously even with their support. "There ain't a bull been made that I can't ride!" he insisted.

"There are no bulls here," said Sheppard, bemused. "You're on the Daedalus, Captain. Remember?"

Adair frowned, trying to concentrate. "Oh, right." He clutched his aching head. "I'm gonna be sick," he said suddenly, pulling away from them and stumbling to a far corner of the room, retching miserably. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and rested his head against the cool metal of the bulkhead wall. "Sorry, girl," he apologized to the ship, patting the wall fondly.

"Come on," said Sheppard, taking hold of the captain's arm again and leading the unsteady man towards the door. "Beckett will want to have a look at you."

"Whatcha do to Hardy?" Adair asked, blinking blearily at unconscious form on the floor and craning his neck to keep the figure in sight, almost walking into the wall in the process.

Sheppard steered him a few feet to the left to avoid the collision. "Hermiod stunned him."

"Hurray for little nekkid aliens," slurred the captain cheerfully as Sheppard led him from the room.

"_That bothers you, too?"_ Lorne heard Sheppard's disembodied voice from the hallway.

"_Hell yeah! I mean, would it kill him to put on a pair of pants?"_

oOo

"I've been knocked around lots worse at the rodeo plenty a'times, Doc." Adair insisted as he held a square of gauze against his bleeding head while Beckett shined the penlight in his eyes. "Just stitch me up and give me a couple of aspirin and I'll be good to go." He slid off the exam bed and firmly onto his feet in front of the doctor to prove his point.

Tucking the penlight back into his pocket with a look of resigned patience, Beckett held up his right index finger. "How many fingers?"

"One," said Adair with absolute certainty and smiling happily at the ease of the test.

Beckett waved the finger back and forth in front of the captain's face. Adair only managed to keep his focus for two passes before he lost his balance and fell back dizzily onto the bed, blinking hard and swallowing heavily against a fresh onslaught of nausea.

"Right," Beckett said crisply, turning to his nurse. "Full skull series it is then."

"Well, Captain, being hard-headed finally paid off after all," said Caldwell as he leaned gingerly on Adair's bed for support. He was now allowed short, supervised walks around the infirmary as he recovered from his injuries.

"And to think I gave up bull-riding because it was too dangerous." Adair said wryly, still looking slightly green.

"Hard head or not, I'm keeping you for twenty-four hours observation." Beckett helped the captain back onto his feet and handed him off to the nurse for a CAT scan just as a lab tech arrived and handed over a piece of paper.

"The results of the blood tests you ordered, Doctor."

"Thank you." Beckett read through the printout carefully before turning toward the bed where another of his patients sat, worrying obsessively and nervously chewing on a hangnail.

Rodney looked up from contemplating his own mortality, an expression of doom on his face, as he saw Beckett approach. "I'm dying aren't I?"

The doctor shook his head in amusement. "You're fine, Rodney. It appears you didn't receive enough of the toxin to have caused any permanent damage."

"I'm not going to die?" he asked, his voice quavering slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Beckett watched as a flurry of emotions passed over the Rodney's face. "Go get something to eat," he suggested kindly, knowing that food was often a source of comfort for the scientist.

"Eat? Right." Rodney slid off the bed with a dazed expression on his face and wandered out the infirmary door.

Beckett frowned when he saw the scientist turn the wrong way into the corridor.

"I got him, Doc," volunteered Sheppard. "I'll drop him off on my way to the brig to check on Lorne and Hardy." He pushed off the infirmary wall where he had been casually leaning and headed out to escort Rodney to the mess hall.

They came back down the hall a few seconds later and Beckett could hear the scientist's voice as he passed by the door: _"He was going to shoot me, you know…"_

"_Don't hold that against the guy. I've been tempted to shoot you on more than one occasion myself." _Sheppard's reply sparked an argument between the two men that faded away as they continued down the corridor.

"All's well that ends well?" suggested Caldwell from behind him. Beckett turned and eyed the man critically. Subtle though it was, he noticed the slight tremor in Caldwell's arm as he leaned heavily on the bed for support. "That's enough for today, Colonel," he said, taking the man's arm and leading him to his bed.

"I'm never going to build up my strength if all I do all day is lay around in bed!" he complained as Beckett settled him in.

"From what I hear, it will still be a week or more before the Daedalus is space worthy. By then, you should be well enough to be put back on light duty _if_ you do as you're told between now and then". He cocked his head at the colonel sensing there was something more to his restlessness. "What's really bothering you?"

"I'm bored," Caldwell finally admitted a little sheepishly.

"I hear that a lot," said Beckett, sympathetically. "When Captain Adair gets back, I'll have him put in the bed next to yours and you two can talk…" he paused, smiling as he dredged up the expression he wanted, "until the cows come home."

**END

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**

Yeeeehaaaaaw! This was fun! Adair whumping, Hermiod's the hero of the hour, and Dr. Beckett gets the last word ("Bones" McCoy would be so proud ;-) So there it is. The end of our first collaborative fic and we didn't even kill each other (though having the entire country between us probably saved Erika's life on more than one occasion ;-) We hope you enjoyed it!

The "surprise" ending is inspired by the classic murder mysteries where the killer pops up out of the blue in the end. It might have had something to do with the fact that Erika's husband was working on a production of "Ten Little Indians", or that "Murder by Death" (which the cast quoted non-stop during rehearsal) is one of her favorite movies :-)

Thanks to those of you who left feedback along the way, we went back and incorporated some of the ideas. For the rest of you who followed the story to the bitter end and haven't commented, please consider leaving us some feedback so we can continue to improve our partnership!

_"Yeah! What she said!" (nebbyJen)_


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